Wild Encounters
by LunchboxDog
Summary: As a wildlife biologist, Dr. Olivia McClain has done a lot of things. She never could have imagined that she would be contacted for contract work to assist Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Catching the eye of a certain IceCap was certainly not on her agenda. "She's a beautiful dame. And she's intelligent. That's all I'm saying." "And you like her?" "What's not to like?" Spoilers in review
1. Bird Brain

Olivia rustled through her purse in an effort to find her keys amongst the massive clutter as she left the lab of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. She made a mental note to organize it when she got home. Her hand grazed the key fob and, as she pulled it from the depths of her bag, she suddenly became aware of the man standing in front of her car. She clutched the pepper spray dangling from her key chain.

"Dr. McClain?"

"Who wants to know?" She asked, narrowing her eyes and stopping several feet from her car. Suddenly she was trying to recall the self-defense class she took as her PE elective in college.

"I'm Agent Coulson," the man responded, flashing her an official-looking badge. "I'm with SHIELD, otherwise known as Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"Um, okay. And you are here because?"

"We're here because we require your assistance with a series of projects."

She remained silent for a moment, but pulled her heavy coat around her as the wind whipped her face. She was not particularly thrilled to be chatting casually outside in the November cold.

"Why in the hell would Homeland Enforcement, Strategy, and whatever need help from a wildlife biologist?"

"We plan to inform you of that during your debriefing."

"Um, okay, and what if I turn down this, um, opportunity?"

"Doctor, that really isn't an option."

"Let me see that badge again, please, Agent."

He seemed reluctant, but did indeed show her his badge. Looking it over and determining that it looked mostly authentic, she agreed to join him, but did not let loose of her pepper spray. She climbed in the back of his blacked-out sedan and rode with him to a helipad.

"You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled, upon arrival.

"Surely you've been in a helicopter before, Dr. McClain?" Agent Coulson asked.

"Of course I have. I'm sure you've seen my résumé. I just don't see why all this is necessary, but okay."

About halfway through the flight from Washington DC to New York, Olivia tapped Agent Coulson on the shoulder.

"What about my belongings? How long should I anticipate working on these projects?"

"We've already had your belongings sent to your temporary living quarters in Manhattan," Agent Coulson informed her.

"How did you get into my apartment?"

"Well, we are a government entity, Dr. McClain."

 _What have I gotten myself into_ , she thought to herself.

The helicopter landed on another helipad and Olivia followed Agent Coulson into an elaborate building in the middle of Manhattan. Once inside, they took the elevator to the 12th floor and made their way into an office. Behind the desk sat a straight-faced bald, black man who was wearing a black eye-patch.

"Dr. McClain, nice to finally meet you," he spoke. "Please have a seat. My name is Nick Fury and I am the Director of SHIELD. As I'm sure Agent Coulson informed you, we require your assistance with a number of projects. The first project includes wildlife damage control for Iron Man."

"Iron Man?" She asked incredulously. "Why does Iron Man need help with wildlife damage control? What is this all about?"

"Yes, Dr. McClain, Iron Man," the director answered, ignoring her latter questions.

"And the other projects?"

"We'll debrief you on the rest once you've completed this one. You will find your belongings in your suite on the 57th floor. Plan to spend the remainder of today settling in. You have a 9 AM appointment with Tony Stark to begin work."

And with that, Olivia was ushered out of Nick Fury's office and back onto the elevator with a keycard. She arrived on the 57th floor and found her suite – it was unsurprisingly the one with a doorplate that read O. McClain on it. She keyed herself into the suite to find a huge studio apartment, larger than the one she was currently renting for $1500 a month in downtown Washington D.C. The king-sized bed had crisp white linens on it and the room smelled like freshly cut flowers. The kitchenette in the corner was complete with a microwave and mini fridge, which, along with the pantry, was stocked full of groceries.

She found her luggage at the foot of the bed and began unpacking her clothes into the chest of drawers. SHIELD's professional packers had even brought along some of her framed photos.

 _Well isn't that thoughtful,_ she thought as she sat the frame on the bedside table. It was of her holding her PhD and giving a thumbs up to the camera. By far, it was one of her happiest days.

Looking at her watch and realizing that it was not only 8:45 PM but that she was long overdue for a shower, she quickly finished unpacking, grabbed her pajamas and made her way into the bathroom. She was used to early mornings at the museum, so a 9 AM appointment would be too bad. She wasn't sure what the remainder of the day would entail, so she decided it would be smart to go to bed early rather than lately.

* * *

Olivia sat in the lobby on the 12th floor as she prepared for her meeting with Tony Stark.

"Dr. McClain, welcome to Stark Tower! I hope you enjoyed your first night. You should have found any and everything you could have needed, but if you find that to be untrue, just ask Jarvis and he will be happy to assist."

"Who's Jarvis?" She asked. She had met Nick and Agent Coulson, but no one by the name Jarvis.

"He's an artificial intelligence and basically my right-hand man. He makes everything run smoothly and monitors the entire tower, except for things that are automatically set to private, of course, such as bathrooms," Tony explained. "So if you need anything, just call his name and he will lend a helping hand. Well, he doesn't actually have hands, but you know what I mean. Anyway, follow me."

Olivia did as she was asked and followed Tony to one of his technical labs, where she could see he had been hard at work. They stopped short in front of a tall, glass enclosure, which housed a battered and broken Iron Man suit.

"Hmm," Olivia said to herself.

"My main issue is structural and mechanical damages caused by bird impact. Most of the collisions occur during flight but there are frequent incidents on the helipad during testing or takeoff/landing," he informed her.

"Okay, let's start by taking a look around the helipad," she requested, sliding into her coat. Once on the helipad, she took a look around and began to take notes on her iPad. "There are a few things that I see first hand that could be causing problems. I'm not sure what those structures over there are," – she pointed to her left – "but they look like a prime opportunity for cover. In fact, it looks like there's a couple European Starlings roosting there as we speak."

"Those are just design elements," Tony informed her.

"Okay, so perhaps we should consider removing them or altering them in such a way that they no longer provide a good hiding place for the birds," she said. "There are also a variety of ways to simply frighten birds away, but ideally we would like for them to stay away permanently and that method tends to be more temporary."

Tony nodded, but said nothing. Olivia scrolled through her notes.

"Okay, so the Migratory Bird Act provides some legal hurdles when it comes to messing with birds, so we'll have to work around that. And to do that, here's my plan: I will spend the next several days conducting observations around the tower to inventory what species are here. Whatever birds you have in the area will also likely be ones that you're going to encounter during flight. Following that, I will make some suggestions for improving the helipad area and other places around the tower. And then we will do some observations and trial runs with the suit to assess in-flight damages," She said. "How does that sound, Mr. Stark?"

"Splendid. And call me Tony," he said.

* * *

Olivia was awake at 4:30 AM to begin her observations. She setup on the helipad, bundled in heavy layers to combat the blistering cold. She sat close to the door and farthest away from where she suspected most of the bird activity would occur. Sprawled out next to her were her iPad, a pocket notebook, pencil, and binoculars. In the first hour, she had already observed two European Starlings, a white-throated sparrow, and a hermit thrush.

Around noon, she had a full list of the species she'd seen on or near the helipad accompanied by a list of possible attractants causing them to interact with the helipad and possible ways to remove or deter them. She packed up her things and returned to her suite. No sooner had she walked in the door than a voice echoed through the room.

"Dr. McClain, Mr. Stark has requested your presence in his lab. Please take the elevator to the 30th floor," Jarvis requested.

"Sure thing, Jarvis, I'll be down soon."

Olivia made her way to the 30th floor where she met Tony in his lab.

"Doc, what's the status of your observations?" He questioned.

"Well it's only day one, Mr. Stark – I mean, Tony – so it's a little early to tell, but I found five different species of birds, two of which are covered under the Migratory Bird Act. That means we cannot use any means of removing them such as shooting them or –"

"Wait, that's a thing? Wildlife biologists just go around killing wildlife? Isn't that counterproductive? Aren't you supposed to be saving the animals, hugging the trees, etcetera, etcetera?"

"Well, it's complicated. Not all wildlife are endangered and therefore not all wildlife need saving. Wildlife biologists do lots of research on wildlife, but we also have to manage them, and that sometimes means culling them, particularly if their population is too high or they're a nuisance."

"Culling? Don't you mean killing?" He asked.

"Well, culling is the scientific term for reducing a population by, basically, selective slaughter. I don't do much of it in my job, but I have in the past and it's an important part of wildlife management and biology."

"Oooohkay, so we aren't going to be doing that or are we?"

"We're going to try our best to modify and deter."

"Great. So I can expect less blood on the helipad and a formal plan in a week?"

"Should be done before then, but that works great," Olivia smiled. "Also, while I'm thinking about it, is there a gym anywhere nearby that I can use?"

"Of course. Stark Tower has its own, 17th floor."

And with that, Olivia returned to her suite to change into some workout gear.

* * *

The following morning, Olivia was back on the helipad, walking across it for what seemed like the 40th time in just an hour. She referred to the list she made the day before regarding what she suspected was drawing the birds onto the helipad, making additional notes as she went. By lunchtime, she had started a rough outline of the plan for the helipad and requested that Jarvis ask Tony to meet her in the technical lab to start an analysis of the suit damages.

After spending an hour going through the suit with Tony and making notes, she had an initial plan to prevent birds from crashing into the suit.

"One last question, how big are the birds that impact your suit?" She asked.

"Pretty big. I mean, there's small ones, but there's also eagles and hawks, usually," he said. "I actually have some footage from impacts. You can see how the impacts affect the technology."

"Alright."

They watched a series of videos showing several different impacts over time and how they damaged the suit.

"Got it. Okay, I think my plan will work. I'm going to do some research this evening to get all of the logistics figured out and hopefully we can start working on it soon."

* * *

As she made her way to Stark Tower's Gym, Olivia's mind was filled with random, yet interconnected, thoughts about the logistics of her plans.

 _Bald eagles, red-tailed hawks. Falcons, maybe? We definitely need a deterrent, but nothing that they can become habituated to. Plus, nothing that would be detrimental to Iron Man. Obviously no gunshot sounds or anything that could give away his whereabouts. Although maybe we could just –_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she collided with another body.

"Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry," she apologized.

"That's alright." Standing before her was a man just shy of 6 feet tall, with brown hair that was slightly spiked in the front, and very large, very muscular arms. "Looked like you were deep in thought."

"Yea," she chuckled, embarrassed. "I was."

"Clint, nice to meet you," He extended his hand.

"Olivia McClain."

"I've never seen you before."

"Oh, uh, yes, I'm actually doing some work with SHIELD. I was just recruited, I mean, I just started today, really," she said.

"Oh, okay. And I see you've already found the gym. Very important," he laughed.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to take that?" She quipped, raising an eyebrow and offering a slight smile.

"Oh, uh, I didn't mean you _needed_ to use the gym, because you look great, you're not, uh, like, overweight or anything. Just that, you know," he sighed, "working out is good…."

"Ohhkay," she laughed. "That's good to know. Thank you, um, what was your name again?"

"Clint."

"Clint, yes, very nice to meet you, thank you very much. I'm sure I will see you again soon."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note** : Hi guys! I've been reading and writing fanfiction since like 2007, but I took a bit of a hiatus while I was in college. Now that I've got more time, I decided to try my hand at writing again. Please, please, please give constructive criticism. It will help my make the story into what you guys are wanting! If you like it, let me know. It will encourage me to write more and post more often! Thank you so much._

 _Also, huge thanks to my amazing beta - **wantfanfics**._

 _-LBD_


	2. Star-Spangled Man

"Dr. McClain, your presence is requested at an 11 AM meeting in the conference room on the 12th floor," JARVIS informed her.

She looked at the clock on her MacBook. 9:45 AM. She had spent the majority of the morning, since about 6, working on a plan for the suit and helipad that would comply with the law, but fix the issue. She was grateful to have spent the morning inside, away from the incredible cold of Manhattan. She was certainly surprised that, given how well Iron Man's suit was built, how incredibly intelligent Tony Stark was, and SHIELD's ability to recruit any engineer they wanted, that they needed her help to deter a few birds. But she wasn't really given a choice regarding her participation, so she took the project very serious and devoted her time to it. She saved her work and jumped into the shower to prepare for her meeting.

The typical crew was sat around a large, ovular conference table, talking amongst themselves. Natasha and Clint were attempting to shoot miniature arrows at Dr. Banner, who was finding their attempts both futile and annoying, Thor was tossing Mjölnir around as if it were an empty water bottle, Tony was doing something with his StarkWatch and Steve was reading the newspaper. At the head of the table, Nick Fury sat with his hands folded and resting on the tabletop.

Olivia walked in and was embarrassed to find that she was the last to join the party. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

She arrived wearing a black pencil skirt, and a purple blouse that tied around her neck, paired with tall black pumps. Her auburn hair was pulled into a tight topknot on her head, still wet following her shower, which accentuated her high cheekbones.

She gave a small wave as she took the only open seat around the table, between Dr. Banner and Steve.

"Team, this is Dr. McClain. She is a world-renowned wildlife biologist and has been recruited to assist SHIELD with a number of projects," Nick introduced her. "Dr. McClain, this is Natasha, Clint, Steve, Dr. Banner, Thor, and you've already met Tony."

"Hi."

* * *

She was a beautiful dame – her hair was tied up on the top of her head and her cheeks were a rosy pink, Steve noticed. She wore heels, which made her legs look long, but he could tell she was only just over five feet tall. She took the open seat next to him and he couldn't help but stare.

"Team, this is Dr. McClain. She is a world-renowned wildlife biologist and has been recruited to assist SHIELD with a number of projects," Nick introduced her. "Dr. McClain, this is Natasha, Clint, Steve, Dr. Banner, Thor, and you've already met Tony."

"Hi."

 _A wildlife biologist?_ Steve thought. _What use does SHIELD have for a wildlife biologist?_

"Dr. McClain, you'll be here in Stark Tower for a while. We hope that you will make yourself at home. The other Avengers also usually reside in the Tower, should you find that you need them," Director Fury said.

"Alright," she responded.

"Once you've finished with your current project, we will have you begin on another."

"Okay. I've started writing a plan to address the issues with Iron Man's suit and should have a first draft by this evening for you, Tony." It was at this point that Steve realized she must have been from the south – the way she drug out the I in "alright" and put two syllabus into the word "draft".

"Oooh, she's quick," Tony smirked. "Admirable quality, one would say, in a number of different settings." Steve shot him a look of annoyance.

"I try," she smiled shyly.

"Great," Director Fury said. "That's all for now. You've met everyone and if you need anything, you know who to ask." Olivia still wasn't sure what she would ask these people for or which person she would ask for what.

The room broke into chatter and Director Fury excused himself. Natasha and Clint were still testing their small bow and arrow when they turned to Olivia.

"Dr. McClain," Clint smiled. "Have you ever done any archery?"

"A very limited amount," she responded. "Mostly with crossbows."

"Crossbows, huh?" He asked. "What does a biologist use a crossbow for?"

"Population management," she answered.

"Ah. Gotcha," Clint said, trying to pretend he knew exactly what she was talking about, despite the fact that he had not a clue.

"And yourself?" She asked.

"I've got some experience with a bow and arrow, if I do say so myself."

Everyone chuckled. Olivia didn't get the joke. Noticing her slight confusion, Steve leaned over and whispered to her.

"The bow and arrow is his weapon. He's Hawkeye, the assassin," he said.

"Oh, wow. I'm a little behind," she laughed at herself. "I didn't realize you were all superheroes!"

Everyone shared a laugh at her expense and Tony took it upon himself to re-introduce everyone.

"Okay, okay, Natasha here is Black Widow. She kicks ass and takes names. Clint is Hawkeye, Dr. Banner transforms into the massive green giant known as the Hulk. Thor is, well, he's Thor, God of Thunder, I'm Iron Man, duh, and this here" – he pointed at Steve – "is Captain America."

"Captain America?" She questioned, flabbergasted. "You mean, strong and brave, here to save the American Way, Captain America? The Star Spangled Man with a Plan? That Captain America?"

Steve looked a little embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Heh heh, yea, that's me."

* * *

After providing Tony with a list of supplies, Olivia was ready to test her plan with a few of her deterrents. She spent the following three days on the helipad, testing the different methods she hypothesized. Around early afternoon on the third day, she ventured down to the main kitchen to find something to fill her stomach.

"Hello, Doctor," Captain America was sitting at the bar, sipping what looked like a mug of black coffee. Olivia could certainly go for a hot beverage right about now. Her fingers were slowly regaining their feeling after being frozen over the course of the last several days.

"Captain America," she smiled. "Hello."

He choked on his coffee slightly and tried to play it off with a chuckle.

"Please call me Steve," he offered.

"Will do, Steve," Olivia replied. "I see you like your coffee black. That's how my dad likes it."

"And you?"

"I don't," she answered, switching on the stove range and pulling out some bread. "I'm not a coffee-drinker, but I quite enjoy hot chocolate. Care for a grilled cheese?"

"Sure," he smiled and watched as she prepared their lunch. "So I heard your accent earlier. Where are you from?"

"Oh," she giggled. "I was born and raised in North Carolina. I left after getting my master's and moved to DC to get my PhD. You could hear that Southern twang, huh?"

"Something like that," he smiled.

"Wow, Cap," Tony smirked when he joined the pair in the kitchen. "Already got the woman cooking for you. It's like we're still in the 40s where a woman's place was in the kitchen."

"Easy, Tony," Steve scoffed.

"You mean, where the knives are?" Olivia asked, smirking as she grabbed one of the large chef's knives and threw it at Tony's head. It missed by an inch and embedded itself in the wall directly behind him.

Steve and Tony slowly returned their gaze from the knife to Olivia, as she was nonchalantly flipping one of the grilled cheese sandwiches. This girl was _definitely_ from the South.

"What the hell was that, Doc?" Tony questioned her.

"I don't like sexism," she shrugged.

"Not the comment, the knife slinging," he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, watch your attitude or I'll throw another. And this time, I won't miss," she winked. The two men could not hide their surprise. "It's a hobby. My dad taught me when I was young."

"Hobby, my ass," Tony scoffed.

"Tony, you better stay on her good side, otherwise she'll be making sandwiches out of ya," Steve laughed, sipping his coffee.

Tony scurried out of the kitchen to the safety of his lab.

* * *

"Care for a grilled cheese?" She offered with a smile. Steve wasn't about to turn down a free sandwich from a beautiful girl.

"Sure."

Tony had made his way into the kitchen.

"Wow, Cap," He smirked. "Already got the woman cooking for you. It's like we're still in the 40s where a woman's place was in the kitchen."

"Easy, Tony," Steve scoffed. There was no need for such comments.

"You mean, where the knives are?" Olivia asked, smirking as she grabbed one of the large chef's knives. Before they knew it, it was lodged in the wall right next to Tony's ear.

 _Damn_. Steve thought to himself.

"What the hell was that, Doc?" Tony muttered.

"I don't like sexism," she shrugged.

"Not the comment, the knife slinging," he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, watch your attitude or I'll throw another. And this time, I won't miss," she winked. "It's a hobby. My dad taught me when I was young."

"Hobby my ass," Tony scoffed.

"Tony, you better stay on her good side, otherwise she'll be making sandwiches out of ya," Steve laughed, sipping his coffee. He decided he should make an exit.

 _A doll that was witty, beautiful, and could throw a knife with incredible accuracy? Almost too good to be true._ Steve thought to himself.

* * *

Olivia handed Steve his plate with two grilled cheese sandwiches and took a seat next to him at the bar. She didn't say anything, but took a bite of her sandwich. After a couple minutes of silence she spoke, without looking up.

"Did you know the modern grilled cheese sandwich was thought to have started in the 1920s?"

"I did not," Steve stifled a chuckle.

"What's funny about that? The Great Depression was in the 1920s! That's a serious American historical event!" She defended her comment as she felt the heat rise to the tops of her ears from embarrassment.

"I just thought it was random, is all," Steve said and he couldn't help but notice the tips of her ears getting red. He felt bad for saying anything. "I didn't realize grilled cheese sandwiches were so serious." He nudged her arm with his elbow. "Just ragging on you, Dr. McClain."

It took a minute, but when she responded she was quiet. "Call me Olivia." It was the last thing she said before she placed her empty plate in the sink and went back to her suite. When she left, Steve let out an exasperated sigh.

"You'd think," Jarvis butted in, "you'd have a better way with words for a 90 year old."

Steve rolled his eyes.

* * *

The next morning, Olivia was back in her usual spot, bundled up to the best of her abilities on the helipad. She'd tested three of her ideas and, while they did deter the birds, they didn't work as wonderfully as she had hoped. Her next idea was to use the sound of a bird of prey, which would scare away the songbirds. It seemed like big birds were only a problem during flight. As if on cue, the archer known as Hawkeye made his way onto the helipad.

"Morning Olivia," he smiled, zipping his coat. "Have you been here every morning? It's kind of cold."

"Good morning, Clint. Yes, I have. And yes, it is," she answered. "I usually stay until the early afternoon."

He shuddered, and Olivia wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or because of the idea of staying in the cold for 7 or so hours a day.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked.

"Not at all, as long as you're quiet. We don't want to scare the birds away. That's what the deterrent is supposed to do."

He nodded and took a seat next to her while she was observing the small sound machine, waiting for the birds to flock toward it before engaging it. A large number of various little birds had gathered across the helipad and Olivia was about to press the remote for the deterrent to engage when the helipad door swung open, scaring all the birds and causing them to quickly retreat to a safer area.

"Olivia, I wanted to –" Steve was oddly patriotically dressed in a red, white, and blue wind breaker and carrying two mugs. He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Clint sitting on the ground next to Olivia. "What are you doing here?"

"Well Olivia is bird-watching….and I am _**Hawk**_ eye, if you will," Clint smirked. Steve rolled his eyes. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Before he could answer, Olivia cut in.

"I hope it's important because you just scared away all of the birds and now I'll have to wait at least another hour to test this deterrent." She was definitely annoyed.

"Oh, uh, well, I…" Steve stammered. He dropped his voice lower so Clint couldn't hear. He felt like this should be a private conversation. "I came to apologize for embarrassing you yesterday, about the grilled cheese fun fact."

Olivia's face suddenly softened. She placed her hand on Steve's upper arm (not without noticing how fucking chiseled it was) and guided him away from Clint so they could talk.

"I wasn't trying to bust your chops last night. I was just trying to get some kicks," he said, looking down nervously. "I came to apologize."

"I should be the one apologizing," she said quietly. _I'm such a bitch_ , she thought to herself. She took her work incredibly serious and her first thought was that her sample size had disappeared and that meant more time before she'd have a solution to the problem.

"What for?"

"For yelling at you like that. I – I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I just, my work is really important to me." She was twisting her braided hair around her hand nervously.

"It's okay. You're sorry, I'm sorry, we're both sorry," Steve smiled as he handed her the mug of hot chocolate. "I hope you like extra marshmallows."

Olivia smiled shyly. _I sure do,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Thank you guys so so much to those of you guys who are following and have favorited Wild Encounters thus far. It means a lot. If you have feedback (what you like, what you don't like), please let me know! I will be updating weekly on every **Friday** as of right now. So be prepared for that. Thanks again, and I hope you like chapter 2!_

 _As usual, thanks to my beta - **wantfanfics**!_

 _-LBD_


	3. The Proposal

That afternoon, Olivia was in one of Tony's numerous technical labs working on the in-flight deterrents, trying to make up for the research she had lost when Steve interrupted.

She was working on creating an inflight sound emulator that would mimic that of a cat. It sounded silly, but outdoor house cats actually posed a huge threat to wildlife, particularly birds. They were responsible for a number of bird extinctions. Using the natural sounds of a cat would scare away the large birds that Tony was hitting in his suit during flights.

Olivia flinched when she suddenly heard a loud crack of lightening, followed by silence. She wasn't expecting it to storm today. She had looked at the weather before beginning her morning observations. Nothing would suck more than getting hit by freezing rain or snow while she was sitting outside watching birds.

She heard footsteps in the lab and wheeled herself 180 degrees around to find the God of Thunder himself. What had his name been?

"Animal Doctor," he addressed her. "Where is the Man of Metal?"

"I'm not actually an animal doctor, uh, your Highness?" She said, unsure of what she should call him since she had managed to forget his actual name. "I'm a wildlife biologist, not a veterinarian."

"It is of no matter to me," he boomed. "Stark, where is he?"

"I don't actually know," she shrugged. "Sorry, I'm no help."

And with that, Thor turned on his heel and went to continue his search elsewhere. About an hour later, when he had failed to find Tony, Thor had returned to the lab where Olivia was working, screwing tiny screws into a small, metal circle.

"What is that?" He questioned.

"It's a sound emulator. It's hopefully going to deter large birds from running, or well, flying, into Tony when he's wearing his Iron Man suit," she replied.

"I must have one," he demanded.

She looked up at him.

"Do you get hit by birds, too?" She asked incredulously.

"Indeed. I will require one of these metal pieces to keep them away."

 _How the hell do these "superheroes" survive any sort of attack when they are getting their asses kicked by birds?_ She thought to herself.

"Okay, okay, I'll make you one when I'm done piloting it and seeing if it actually works."

"Splendid," he thundered out as quickly as he had come in and Olivia was left working in silence once again. When she needed a break from all the quiet, she asked Jarvis to compile a playlist of what she called "Hits of the 2000s".

Before she knew it, she had taken a break from her work and was dancing along to the music as if she were in a club and not a lab, singing along at the top of her lungs.

"From the windowwwwwws, to the walls, to the walls, to the sweat drop down my ballsss, all these bitches crawl!"

Suddenly, she heard laughter behind her and turned to see Steve, her face quickly turning red. She immediately shut off the music.

"What in the world was that?" He asked.

"Music," she stammered.

"Some music," he laughed. "Definitely not like the music of my time. Besides, those lyrics didn't sound like something a lady should be saying."

Olivia looked down nervously, embarrassed that she had been caught singing and dancing like a crazy person.

"It's in this movie that I like," she explained.

"I see," he said, his hands in his pocket. "I can only imagine what the movie is like." That made her face get even hotter.

"It's not a dirty movie!" She defended. "It's a romcom." She clarified when he looked at her with a blank stare. "A romantic comedy."

"I knew that," he chided.

"It's called _The Proposal_ ," she said. "Maybe you should watch it sometime."

"Maybe we should," he responded, and she didn't immediately realize that he had said _we_.

* * *

After two weeks of straight work, Tony told Olivia to take the day off. She spent it sleeping in, cocooned in her king-sized bed with overly-fluffy pillows. She stayed that way until the late afternoon when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in!" she called. Steve popped his head in the door. "Oh, hi." Suddenly, she found herself clutching the covers around her. After all, she was wearing a pair of women's pajama boxers and a t-shirt, without a bra.

"Are you alright?" he asked, apparently completely oblivious to the fact that she was barely wearing any clothing. In reality, he was trying his best not to stare when he noticed she was wearing a thin t-shirt under the covers.

"Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

"I haven't seen you all day."

"It's my day off, so I was just lounging around," she said. "You can come in all the way, if you want." He stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him, but stayed right by it.

"Why is your bed in the living room?" He asked.

"It's a studio apartment. I don't have a separate bedroom." He scrunched his nose.

"But I have a bedroom…"

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that's because you're Captain America. And I'm not. So I get a studio," she laughed. He chuckled nervously. "So what's up?"

"I found that movie you mentioned. _The Proposal_ ," he held up the DVD. "I was going to see if you wanted to watch it."

"Sure," she smiled. He stayed standing at the door. "Oh, you mean now?" She laughed. "Duh, sorry. Yes, that's fine, that's great. Let's watch it. But first let me change into, uh, some daytime clothes."

She jumped out of the bed, grabbed her jeans and bra off the floor and hauled ass into the bathroom. She quickly replaced her pajama pants with jeans and slipped her bra on under her t-shirt before returning back to the living area. Steve couldn't help but notice the barely there shorts she was wearing as she sprinted across the room.

 _Boy have the times changed._ He thought to himself. _And perhaps not necessarily in a bad way._

Olivia returned from the bathroom to find Steve still standing by the door.

"Do you want to watch it here?" She asked.

"Well, I don't want to invade your privacy. This is your bedroom," he kind of shrugged.

"Oh, okay. Where would you like to watch it?"

"We could watch it in my suite? I've got a separate living room," he said, hoping that hadn't come off as an attempt at bragging.

"Okay," she agreed and followed him up to the next floor. When he opened the door, the smell of fresh popcorn greeted her nose. Apparently, he hadn't planned on taking no as an answer. Or perhaps he would have watched it by himself. Regardless, Olivia was happy that he wouldn't be doing any such thing.

Partway through the movie, as Steve leaned in to grab another handful of popcorn, he said to Olivia, "This Margaret character, she's kind of a, well, a _jerk_." She laughed.

"Well, she takes her job really seriously. She's kind of like me. She doesn't want to lose everything she's worked for."

"You don't seem manipulative like she does," he offered back.

"Just watch the movie." She couldn't hide her smile.

Before they could finish the movie, Natasha had barged in.

"Hey, Steve, you wanna show me some of those boxing moves so I can practice my ass-kicking?" She asked, only then noticing him and Olivia on the couch. "Oh, my bad. I didn't realize you were….on a date?"

"It's not a date," Olivia said quickly.

"Uh huh…. Well uh, maybe some other time, since you're obviously busy," she snickered.

"Yea, how about tomorrow afternoon, Natasha?" Steve offered. She nodded and left, swiftly closing the door behind her.

* * *

The next morning, Tony found Olivia working in the lab again, putting her final touches on the sound emulator she was beta testing for him.

"So what's up with you and the IceCap?" He questioned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, honestly.

"First you're cooking him grilled cheese and then you're snuggled up watching movies in his suite? Natasha told me she walked in on you guys."

"We were not snuggled up!" She protested. "We were just watching a movie. He heard me listening to one of the songs on the soundtrack and I suggested he watch it. It was his idea to invite me to watch it with him."

"Ah, I see. Cap's got a crush on the lady scientist," he smirked. "I can see it in the paper now: Captain America saves dolphins to impress Wildlife Biologist girlfriend."

She narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance.

"He's not a bad looking guy, Olivia. Maybe you should give him a chance," Tony joked.

"I'm here for business, Tony."

"And who said you can't experience a little _pleasure_ along the way?" Her face grew red at the comment and she bowed her head a little closer to her work station in the hopes that Tony wouldn't notice. "He's from the 40s. I'm sure he has some old-school methods to pleasing the ladies."

"Okay, Tony, that's enough," Olivia said sternly. "Do you want me to finish the emulator or not?"

"Tisk, tisk, sounds like someone could use a good shagging," with that, Olivia pulled her pocket knife from around her ankle and chucked it at Tony. It tore a piece of his jacket sleeve and took his cuff link with it. "Hey! What did we say about the knife slinging?"

"What did we say about the sexist comments?" She retorted.

"You know, that is my favorite suit."

"I'm sure you have a thousand others," she rolled her eyes and collected her knife, returning it to its sheath at her ankle before going back to working on the emulator.

"Sir, a threat has been detected," Jarvis's voice filled the lab.

"No worries, Jarvis, it's just the biologist," Tony replied as he grabbed his cuff link and left the lab.

Olivia finally got to a stopping point on her work around 8:30 PM, at which point her stomach had been growling at her for the good part of an hour. She decided to swing by the main floor kitchen and grab a bite to eat. She figured everyone would have left the kitchen at that point. When she stepped off the elevator, she smelled something incredibly delicious. She peeked around the corner and saw Steve, his back toward her, at the stove. Deciding she'd probably had enough interaction with other people, she was quick to step back onto the elevator, but not quick enough.

"Olivia!" Steve called. "Won't you join me?"

She wanted to, but at the same time, she didn't. She had been working all day, and knew she probably looked a mess. She joined him anyway, taking a seat on one of the barstools.

"How's the work going?" He asked.

"It's going. We should be able to test it soon," she said.

"Good," he turned and smiled at her. He stood like that for a minute.

"Is…..is something burning?" Olivia asked.

"Dang!" He spun back around to the stove and began stirring vigorously and pouring some other ingredients into the pan. "Almost burnt the garlic. Your nose saved it, though."

"What are you making?"

"Garlic pasta. Would you like some?" He asked, only for her stomach to grumble loudly in response. "I will take that as a yes."

He finished preparing his sauce and poured it over the noodles, giving it all a good mix before putting some in the bowl for Olivia. She smiled and offered her thanks as he took the seat next to her.

"Did you know that the first concrete information about pasta products in Italy is from the 13th or 14th century?" Steve asked, looking fully serious.

"I didn't know that," Olivia said.

"See, you're not the only one who knows fun facts about food," Steve said, offering a wink. Olivia felt her stomach fly up into her throat. A deadly handsome man making her dinner and winking at her - was she dreaming?

"I guess not," she smiled as she took a bite of her pasta. Unfortunately, Olivia had been too caught up in the attractiveness of Captain America to realize her pasta was far too hot to eat just yet.

"Ow, ow, ow," she try futilely to fan her mouth in an attempt to cool it. "Hot, hot, really hot." She gulped down her glass of water and then let out a sigh.

"Why thank you," Steve offered a smirk.

"What?" Olivia asked, confused.

"You said, 'hot, hot, really hot'. I was insinuating that you were talking about me," She stared at him blankly. "In other words, that was another failed attempt at flirting…okay, I'm zero for two." His face reddened and he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

"Oh," Olivia said softly, her cheeks flushing pink. "I, I didn't realize you were…flirting with me." Steve wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.

"I was doing a genuine attempt at trying," he was still smiling.

"In that case, A for effort," she offered and he laughed again.

"Thanks, maybe I can earn an A sometime," he chuckled.

 _I'm sure you can,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys! Thanks to all of you who have follower or favorited the story so far. It means a lot. Please leave a review to let me know what you think. It helps with writing and I want to make sure you guys are enjoying what I'm putting out! Special thanks to my Beta **wantfanfics.**

Next chapter will be posted a week from today!

-LBD


	4. Cut a Rug

The smell of apple cinnamon and pine trees quickly filled the Tower as Christmas rounded the corner. Olivia spent her morning off in the city, shopping for Christmas decorations with Pepper.

They returned with throw pillows, banners, ornaments, and an abundance of stockings. Olivia even got a small tree for her suite. When they returned, they hung decorations on every inch of the building. They even sent Thor on a mission out to the country to bring back a huge fir tree.

"I fail to understand your desire to hang up a tree indoors, lady doctor," Thor said. "It is only destined to die that way."

"We're not hanging it up, Thor. We're setting it up. And then we're going to decorate it. It's part of the Christmas tradition. We'll water it and keep it alive until after the holidays." He shot her a look that clearly illustrated that he thought she was weird, but she ignored it. Within the hour, he had returned with a seven-foot tree. Pepper and Olivia decked it out with ornaments, garlands, and lights.

"Pep, what is all this?" Tony questioned as he walked into the decorated room.

"It's for Christmas," she smiled.

"Ew," he scoffed. "We are not festive at Stark Tower."

"Not usually," Pepper admitted. "But this year, Olivia has inspired me to decorate. We're keeping it this way until after the holidays. Everyone, even Iron Man, could use some holiday cheer." Tony didn't argue with her. You could tell he cared about her by the way he treated her.

Olivia grabbed a couple of the stockings she had bought and retreated long enough to stash them away in her suite before returning to finish decorating. She draped a burlap banner that read "Merry Christmas" across the mantle and set two glittery trees at the bottom of the fireplace. When she and Pepper finished the room, they took a step back to admire their work.

"Great job," Pepper complimented.

"Thanks. Christmas was always a big deal for my family growing up and decorating was one of my favorite parts. Our house was always filled with people," Olivia reminisced.

"And now?" Pepper asked.

"Well, my mom died when I was in junior high. It made it difficult to celebrate without her. My dad's in the military, so I don't see him much. I usually spend Christmas with a nice mug of hot chocolate and a holiday movie binge."

"Not this year," she smiled. "I expect to see you at the Stark Christmas Party next weekend?"

"Yes ma'am," Olivia replied.

As Olivia crawled into her bed that night, she got an email alert on her phone from her friend Belle.

 _Hey Olive,_

 _I'm in DC for a couple weeks for a conference (super short notice). My work put me up in a hotel, but I was hoping to see you. I stopped by the lab at the Smithsonian today looking for you and they said you were on vacation. But when I asked where, they said they weren't sure. You hadn't mentioned a vacation so that was a surprise to me._

 _Just wanted to check in and see how you were and if I could see you soon? I miss you!_

 _Love, B_

Belle was Olivia's best friend for as long as she could remember. Belle had gone to college in California and was currently working as a designer. They tried to visit each other often, but they hadn't seen each other in nearly a year.

She pulled out her laptop to write her reply.

 _B,_

 _Hey! I can't believe you're in DC! I am on a semi-vacation in NYC right now. Sorry I didn't tell you before. I'm actually doing some work on a project that has to be kept on the down low. If you're able to take the train up here before you have to go back to Cali, let me know and I'll buy you a ticket. Think you can make it before Christmas? I've tried to stay out of the city as much as possible because it's super crowded, but we can take a day out on the town. Let me know._

 _Love you!_

 _Olive_

The next morning, Belle had responded to Olivia saying she could be up in NYC at the end of her conference in a week and a half. She couldn't wait to see her, and she was excited to do some of the tourist-y things for the holidays in the city.

* * *

Olivia slipped into her long, black evening gown and slid on her contrasting red heels. She quickly dusted some blush on her cheeks to finish off her makeup and pinned her hair out of her face. She added a spritz of perfume on her wrists and popped in her silver reindeer earrings to finish her look. For some reason, she was nervous about the party, even though she had been to bigger events before. She had attended her fair share of galas with famous scientists, but for some reason she couldn't shake the butterflies in her stomach. Maybe it was because she knew she would see Steve in a suit. She felt her heart jump thinking about it. He was one attractive man. She couldn't help but wonder if he would try his hand at flirting again.

Olivia stepped off the elevator and rounded the corner toward the sound of holiday music and chatter. She tried to slip in under the radar, and headed toward the bar.

"What'll it be, ma'am?" the bartender asked.

"Can I get a sprite with orange vodka, please?"

"Sprite and vodka?!" Tony exclaimed as he approached the bar from behind Olivia. "Talk about an abomination. You're ruining some perfectly good vodka." Olivia laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I like to ease into things, Tony," she winked. "Besides, it tastes like a creamsicle," She'd been in Stark Tower for just shy of two months now and had finally gotten to a point where she was feeling like she fit in. Well, as much as a biologist could fit into a group of superheroes. She grabbed her drink and settled into a large armchair in the corner, watching as people mingled and ate exquisite finger foods.

Across the room, Steve shifted anxiously from side to side as he sipped from his club soda.

"Easy killer," Clint said, slapping him on the back. "What are you all fidgety for?"

"Nothing," he was quick to respond. "I'm just….waiting."

"For?" Steve didn't answer right away.

"Olivia." He avoided eye contact with Clint.

"Oooh, does Captain America have a crush on the biologist?" He teased.

"She's a beautiful dame. And she's intelligent. That's all I'm saying."

"And you like her?"

"What's not to like?" He replied.

"You make a good point. Why don't you ask her to dance or something?" Clint nudged him in the stomach.

"She's not here yet."

"Yes she is. She's sitting over there." He pointed across the room to where Olivia was sitting in an armchair. She was wearing a long, black strapless dress that hugged her legs and flared slightly at the bottom. Clint laughed and gave Steve a light push to get him going.

"Olivia," Steve smiled as he took the last few steps toward her. "You look really swell."

"Thank you. Might I say, you clean up nicely, soldier." He was wearing a simple black suit that squared his shoulders just right. She had to avert her eyes to keep from staring.

"Would you," he cleared his throat nervously. "Would you like to dance?"

She offered her hand and smiled as she sat her empty glass on the table and followed him to the center of the room. The speakers filled the room with "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby and Olivia's smile got bigger.

"I love this song," she said. "It's from one of my favorite holiday movies."

She and Steve shuffled across the floor, stepping in time to the music, as Olivia hummed the music to herself. She hoped that her hand wasn't getting super sweaty as she was actually pretty nervous.

"I'm a dead hoofer, you'll have to excuse me. I, uh, never learned how to dance," he admitted.

"What?" She asked, incredulously. "How come?"

"Well, before I got the serum, I was tiny. And women weren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on."

"What about after? I'm sure the women were throwing themselves at you." He was quiet for a minute.

"I had a date. We were going to go dancing, but..." His voice grew quiet. Olivia felt bad for making him reflect on a memory that was obviously painful. "Then I, well, as SHIELD says, I was asleep for a while." She decided not to linger on that topic.

"Well, for someone who never learned how to dance, you're doing a good job in my book."

As the song ended, Steve gave Olivia a playful bow and she moved to the outskirts of the room, leaning against a door frame.

"The guy's got two left feet, huh?" Clint had appeared next to Olivia.

"He does not! He's a great dancer," she smiled.

"Doubtful," Clint snorted.

Steve refilled his club soda at the bar and found Natasha perched on a stool, doing her usual people-watching.

"Nice job, Cap, you got up the nerve to ask her to dance," she jeered and Steve smiled.

"I thought I did a good job," he chuckled nervously. "It went well."

"Well, maybe someone should tell her that," Natasha's tone had changed from cheerful to annoyed and she was staring across the room at Olivia, who was currently kissing Clint.

"What the hell?" Steve muttered to himself.

"Guess you're not her type," Natasha downed her drink in one swallow and pushed herself out of her barstool, leaving Steve alone to deal with his own confusion.

Olivia pulled away from Clint with a nervous laugh and a hot face. Out of nowhere, Natasha appeared as she forcefully pushed between them, slamming her shoulder into Olivia's and almost knocking her down. As she shoved through, she muttered under her breath.

"сука*."

"What did she say?" Olivia asked Clint as he grabbed her elbow to help steady her.

"No idea," he replied. "But something's got her pissed."

* * *

 _*_ сука is pronounced "suka" and is Russian for bitch.

 **A/N:** This chapter was a little shorter than the others have been, but I really wanted it to end where it did. Hopefully you guys will forgive me for it being a little shorter. 3 As always, thank you to my beta **wantfanfics**. Also, huge thank you to everyone who has favorited or followed the story, and especially big thanks to **aven91, darkpoisonivy, and ChandyDnae** for leaving reviews! 3 See you guys next Friday!


	5. Dreamboat

Olivia made her way back over to Steve.

"What was that all about?" she asked. He gave a simple shrug, then stood and walked away. "Okay then," she said to herself as she ordred another drink.

Sure, Steve was upset that Olivia had played him for a fool, but he was more upset at Clint for encouraging him to ask her to dance and leading him to believe that he had a chance with her when obviously Clint really wanted her for himself.

Pepper joined Olivia with a smile.

"How's it going?" she asked. "Having fun?"

"Well, I was. Steve even asked me to dance," she answered. "But I must have said or done something wrong because when I tried to talk to him just now, he seemed uninterested."

"Oh," Pepper looked surprised. "Maybe he isn't feeling well."

"Maybe," Olivia shrugged and Pepper placed a hand on her bare shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"Try not to worry about it too much. Have some fun. After all, Christmas only comes once a year."

Olivia nodded and decided she would help herself to some of the fancy finger foods. Dr. Banner seemed to have had a similar idea as she found him loading up a small plate with a variety of child-sized foods.

"Gotta fuel the brain," he joked.

"Or something like that," she laughed.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"For the most part. What about you?"

"Same. l belong in the lab and I'm not too keen on the whole social interaction," he shrugged playfully. "But you know, it's in the job description."

"I understand," she smiled as she popped a cranberry and feta cheese pinwheel in her mouth.

"Hey, you wanna see my only party trick?" he asked and she nodded. He sat his plate on the buffet table and grabbed three grapes. He juggled them, threw them straight in the air one after the other and then proceeded to catch all three of them all in his mouth.

Olivia giggled as she gave him a round of applause.

"Well done, Dr." she smiled.

"Thank you! And by now, you should be calling me Bruce. Dr. Banner is for strangers and people whom I dislike."

* * *

The next morning, Olivia woke up and realized she must have fallen asleep before she showered. Her hair was a huge mess as a result from sleeping in all the pins and layers of hairspray, and she had remnants of mascara on her lashes. She stepped into the hot water and massaged her scalp, lathering the shampoo three times before the tangles in her hair started to lessen. After her shower, Olivia threw her hair into a messy bun to allow it to dry and dressed herself in some comfy clothes. She made her way down to the kitchen where she ran into Pepper. Steve was sitting at the bar drinking his black coffee as per usual.

"Good morning, Olivia," Pepper smiled. "What are your plans for the day?"

"Well, my best friend Belle is coming to visit me in a couple days and I was thinking of spending the day out in the city, scoping out things to do when she gets here.

"Oh, that sounds like fun! Does she live in DC too?"

"No, actually she lives in California. She's in DC for a conference and I got her a train ticket to come up for a couple days." She said. "I just have to figure out where we're going to go. We'll probably just do touristy things in the city. Maybe we'll even go to Coney Island. It's kind of cold, but I've never been."

"Maybe Steve can show you some places," Pepper suggested, glancing at him. "He grew up in Brooklyn." Steve didn't say anything so Pepper gently pressed again. "Steve?"

"Sure," he put his empty mug in the sink. "Be ready in 30 minutes."

They walked mostly in silence until Olivia stopped, bending over and huffing to catch her breath.

"Can we, like, slow down some?" she asked. "I've got little legs." He obliged and slowed his pace, for which she thanked him.

They walked along the crowded sidewalks, Olivia's petite frame dwarfed by Steve's tall, muscular body. His arms were as big around as her head. She would glance at him every so often, expecting him to say something. After all, he was supposed to be showing her the city. But he never spoke. She assumed that it was due to whatever upset him the night before.

"So you grew up in Brooklyn?" she asked, even though she knew he had.

"Yes." That's all he offered.

"How was that?" she tried.

"Fine."

At this point, Olivia was starting to get annoyed. Since she had met Steve, he had been nothing but polite. Whether or not it was intentional, he was being incredibly rude. Olivia stopped walking abruptly and turned to face him, hands on her hips.

"Look," she sighed, "I don't know what I did to piss you off, but I don't appreciate your attitude."

"Okay," he said as he walked right past her.

"It's obvious that you're not in a good mood, so we can just go back to the Tower and I will give myself a tour of the city later."

"No, I told Pepper I'd show you around so I will." Olivia rolled her eyes, but walked along with him anyway. He took her to Brooklyn and showed her some of the places he loved growing up.

"Across there," he pointed, "is where the drive-in movie was."

"Really? I'm sure that was fun. I've never been to a drive-in."

"And a few blocks down is where the hotdog stand I frequented used to be." He basically ignored her comment. _So much for small talk,_ she thought to herself.

"What's there now?" she asked. He shrugged in reply. "Okay, well, why don't we walk down there and find out?" He didn't say anything but started walking in that direction. Olivia sighed in frustration and picked up pace to catch up to him. "What was Brooklyn like when you were growing up?"

"I was born in the 20s. Lots of music. My parents were Irish immigrants." Olivia was hoping he would share some stories from his childhood or tell her about his family, but he didn't.

"Anything else you want to share?" she tried. "Seems like you might have a story or two."

"Not really."

They hadn't yet made it to the hotdog stand when she stopped walking and blocked Steve's path.

"What in the hell is wrong with you? Why are you being so short with me?" she demanded, her hands on her hips.

"You know, if you didn't want to dance with me last night, you shouldn't have," he huffed.

"What are you talking about? Of course I wanted to dance with you! That's why I said yes when you asked!" Olivia's voice was growing louder and she realized that people were starting to stare. She didn't even understand what dancing had to do with him being an asshat.

"Oh yea?" He pressed, his voice equally loud. "Then why were you kissing Clint immediately after!?"

Olivia's mind flashed back to the previous night and when she realized what he was talking about, she closed her eyes. And she kept them closed, bringing her hands up to rub her temples. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Steve staring at her, expectantly. His face was red and he was breathing a little quicker than usual. Before she could even offer an explanation, he was spouting off again.

"I guess you thought no one saw, but we did, and-"

"That's what this is about?" Olivia had lowered her voice in an attempt to draw some of the attention away from them. "Steve, he came over to talk to me about you. And we were accidentally standing under the mistletoe. One of the new secretaries pointed it out and we shared a very quick and _platonic_ kiss."

Steve looked away and just stood there, saying nothing. He was suddenly overly interested in the small patch of grass growing up through the cracks in the sidewalk. Olivia wondered if that was also what had Natasha so upset.

"You know, l don't know how people solved their problems back in the day, but nowadays, we talk to each other. I, unlike you, am not a superhero. I can't read your mind. Just because you got a little jealous isn't an excuse to be a dick to me."

And with that, she turned and left him standing there, staring at his feet.

"Say, Olivia, where ya running off to?" He called after her, but she kept walking. He knew it wasn't the best time, but he couldn't help but notice how nice her backside looked as her hips swung from side to side. He reached out and grabbed her hand, spinning her around to face him. He didn't let go of her hand and she didn't fight to get it back. "You got me belly up, here, Olivia." She didn't say anything, mostly because she didn't understand what it was he was trying to say. "I know I goofed, but when I think about you, my brain gets all wacky. I forget how to make the right decisions."

"That's not something you need in your life, Steve," she spoke softly. "You're part of the Avengers. The country relies on your ability to make the right decisions and keep people safe."

"Now that's just bonkers. I can't have me a beautiful woman who makes my brain buzz, in a good way, that is, just because I have to help save the world? Call me old-timey, but if that's the case, I might as well hang it up. I'm not looking to spend my time with just anyone. I'm looking for a dreamboat. A doll who's sharp and beautiful."

Olivia didn't say anything. She just looked up at him, searching his eyes. Her whole purpose for being at Stark Tower was for work and she was there on professional terms. Could she afford to get caught up a relationship, particularly one with fucking Captain America? Steve was tired of waiting for an answer. With Olivia's hand still in his, he took a couple steps toward her, closing the space between his body and hers. He brought his face down to hers and spoke quietly as his other hand went to her waist.

"I'm would like to kiss you now."

"I would like that too," she whispered.

And as his warm lips met hers, cold and slightly chapped from the winter weather, he did just that.

* * *

 **A/N:** The moment you've been waiting for. :) Shout out to **Purple Pizza** who suspected Mistletoe might have reared its head in the last chapter. As always, a huge thank-you to my beta **wantfanfics**. Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed. It means a lot! Please continue to do so if you like what you're reading. I appreciate feedback!

Next chapter will be posted a week from today, as usual.

-LBD


	6. Rendezvous

"And then there I was, standing in the middle of the sidewalk kissing Captain America in my sweatpants," Olivia exclaimed as she finished drinking her hot chocolate.

"And then what?" Belle asked excitedly. They stood and pushed their chairs in, heading toward the exit of the quaint cafe in Manhattan.

"Then we walked down the street and got Iunch at the hotdog stand."

"Did he pay?"

"Really?" Olivia asked as she laughed. "That's the most important detail here?"

"I'm just curious. You said he was a gentleman."

"He is. Very much so."

"So this was how long ago?"

"Like two weeks ago?"

"I'm just glad you started your story from the very beginning, otherwise I would be incredibly confused. I still don't understand why SHIELD needs a biologist. Tony stark is a genius. The guy designs weapons and you're telling me he can't create an Iron Man suit that keeps the birds away? I don't know if I believe that."

"You know, Belle, I don't really believe it either, but I'm trying to just go with the flow," Olivia said. "If I try to figure it out, I start to over-analyze and we both know that stresses me out."

As they made their way onto the sidewalk, Olivia heard the door to the cafe open and close again. She pulled her compact mirror from her bag and pretended to check herself in the mirror. She noticed two men in all black attire following behind them. These same men had also been in the cafe. Olivia did not find it coincidental that they had arrived shortly after her and Belle and were now leaving shortly after. She laced her arm through Belle's and motioned to cross the street. When she saw the men following suit, she knew something was going on.

"Listen," Olivia said softly, "I am 99% sure we are being followed right now."

"Wait, what?" Belle asked anxiously, tightly gripping the hem of her coat.

"If anything happens, remain calm and do your best to stay near me. Got it?" Belle nodded.

They turned the corner onto a small side street and as if on cue, both girls felt someone grab their wrists and yank them away from the busy street.

"Hey!" Belle screamed and one of the men cupped his hand over her mouth. Olivia shot her a look as they were being shoved toward a black SUV. She was pushed to the front and Belle was being drug behind her. Right as she was about to be forced into the backseat of the vehicle, she tripped on the curb and found herself crashing to the ground.

"Clumsy, aren't you?" The man scowled. Olivia looked up at the captors and locked eyes with Belle.

"Ow," She cried out as she wrapped her hands around her ankle. "I think it's broken."

"Ugh, are you serious?" the man rolled his eyes and kneeled down next to her, reaching to look at her ankle. "Let me see."

"We're going to be late!" The other man called.

"Just hold on." Olivia let him get about two inches from her before she whipped one of her knives from its sheath in her boot and drove it right into his hand.

"Ahh! You bitch!" He exclaimed, only to be echoed by his partner as Belle sunk her teeth into his hand. Olivia introduced her knee to the guy's face, knocking him down and Belle bent over in front of her captor just in time for Olivia to throw her knife and lodge it right in the base of his neck. She grabbed her other knife from the sheath on her thigh beneath her peacoat and threw it in the SUV from the open door, disabling the driver and allowing her to grab Belle's hand and get the hell out of there.

"What about your knives?" Belle asked as they ran.

"They can keep them. Consider them a parting gift."

They hauled ass into the Mariott around the corner and approached the desk.

"I need to use your phone, please." Olivia demanded. She punched some numbers into the keypad and waited for someone, anyone, to answer. "Pepper, it's Olivia. Can you send a car to the Mariott on Fifth Avenue ASAP? It's an emergency. Yea, I'll explain later. Thanks."

She gave the clerk the phone and she and Belle waited for the car in the corner of the lobby, farthest away from the entrance.

* * *

Olivia and Belle sat on the couch in the communal living area, surrounded by Natasha, Bruce, Tony, Director Fury, Clint and Steve, who had immediately taken a seat beside Olivia. The girls recounted the events from only a couple hours ago to the group, who listened intently.

"I have no idea who they were or what they wanted. Maybe they just figured that we were easy targets." Olivia shrugged.

"In all honesty, I doubt that, Dr. McClain," the director said. "I would maybe believe that if it hadn't happened in broad daylight."

"How did you get away?" Pepper asked.

"Olivia is a freaking badass," Belle exclaimed. "Right before they put us in the car, Olivia tripped herself and when the guy reached for her, she stabbed him right in the hand. Then she kneed him in the face while I bit the guy holding me and then Olivia threw her knives at him and the driver!"

"How is it that someone who is severely lacking hand-to-hand combat skills has absolutely no problem stabbing a guy in the hand?" Tony questioned.

"First of all, I was going off an adrenaline rush because I was being fucking kidnapped. Second of all, I took self defense in college and had several lessons with my dad who's in the military. Plus, I have good aim," Olivia snapped back. "So you can shut your mouth, Mister."

"Tony, can you go a minute without antagonizing the woman? She was just attacked for Pete's sake," Steve said, laying his hand over Olivia's. She tried not to blush but it didn't work.

"Damn Olivia," Clint said, "never a dull moment for you, huh?"

"Yea, can you imagine going from kissing Captain America to almost being kidnapped in less than a 24 hour span?" Belle thought aloud. Olivia snapped her head around and gave her one of those _what the fuck_ looks before she realized that she had actually said it out loud...for everyone to hear. Suddenly, the room was in an uproar and everyone was talking over everyone else.

"Okay, quiet!" The director ordered, but before he could continue, Natasha cut in.

"So within a matter of days, you were locking lips with Clint AND Steve?" She jeered. "You sure get around, don't you?"

Clint suddenly went red faced and started babbling while Steve let Natasha know that he didn't appreciate her speaking to Olivia in such a manner. Meanwhile Belle was trying to figure out who Clint was and why Olivia had neglected to mention kissing him, too.

"For crying out loud, y'all!" Olivia yelled and everyone went quiet. "We were under the damn mistletoe! It's a Christmas tradition! And as for Steve and I, that's no one else's damn business." She stood up and grabbed Belle's arm, heading toward the elevator. "And Natasha, it's okay to be jealous, but you don't have to be a bitch."

Bruce held onto Natasha's wrist to prevent her from following the duo, which likely would have resulted in an ass-kicking on someone's part, and Olivia heard Tony talking as she stepped onto the elevator.

"That was a great story time, team. Can we have another next week?"

"Shut up, Tony." Steve groaned.

"Wow, your life has gotten much less boring since I saw you last." Belle laughed as she plopped onto Olivia's bed. "Hey, how come you're in a studio?"

"I blame what just happened on you," Olivia replied, ignoring her question. "You couldn't keep your mouth shut, huh?"

"Eh, I've never been great at keeping secrets." Belle smiled as she dodged a dirty sock Olivia had chucked at her. "It was bound to get out sometime. I imagine you and Steve will be all over each other. I mean, if I were you, I'd be on that harder than cheese on macaroni."

"Ahem," Steve poked his head into Olivia's suite just in time to catch Belle's comment. Her face went red. "Belle, could I have a minute with Olivia, please?"

"Sure," Belle headed toward the door. "I'll, uh, be in the hallway if you need me." Steve walked to the edge of Olivia's bed.

"Can I sit on your bed?" She nodded and watched him from the corner of the room where she was standing. She moved across the room and sat next to him, crossing her legs Indian style. "Are you alright?"

"Yea, I think so." she said. Steve placed a hand on her knee and leaned into her, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I'm glad you got away safely. And I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Director Fury thinks you may have been targeted because someone saw us together a few weeks ago. He thinks they've been following you every time you leave the Tower. And they might have figured that they could get to me through you." He said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Steve," Olivia put her hand over his. "You were showing me around. Even if we hadn't kissed, we still would have been seen together. It's not your fault so I don't want you feeling like it is."

"I just would have felt awful bad if something had happened to you." He picked up her hand and fan his fingers across the underside of hers. Olivia felt butterflies.

"But nothing did."

"You've got some blood on your hand," he said, standing and walking to the bathroom. He returned with a damp cloth and he gently wiped the blood away. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She smiled and rolled onto her back, looking up at the snow white ceiling.

"I will be okay if you'll lay here with me." He sat on the bed and slid down until he was on his back. He found her hand and took it in his.

Bruce stepped off the elevator and onto the 57th floor where he found Belle sitting on the floor, back against Olivia's door.

"Belle?" He asked. "What are you doing?"

"Steve came to check on Olivia and they gave me the boot. I told them I would be out here, but they either forgot or they're _distracted_."

"Oh, I see," Bruce stifled a laugh. "I also came to check on her, but based on your observations, my ability to help is not much compared to Steve's. Care to join me? I'm going to get a bite to eat. And I'd hate for you to sit out here all night."

"All night!?" Belle exclaimed.

"The man was frozen for 70 years. Who knows how long he'll be in there."

* * *

"So how long have you and Olivia been friends?" Bruce asked Belle as he offered her a slice of pizza.

"Basically our whole lives," she said, taking a huge bite. Her lady-like manners went out the window as she hadn't eaten since earlier that afternoon. "We went to school together until college. Olivia stayed in North Carolina for her bachelor and masters degrees and I went to school in California for design."

"So what do you do now?"

"Well I still dabble in graphic design, but right now I design tiny houses."

"Tiny houses?"

"Yea, they're usually 200 to 500 square feet and that means getting creative with finding ways to make everyday living easier in such a small space." She said.

"I don't know if I could live in a tiny house with the Other Guy," Bruce laughed. Belle stared at him blankly and assumed she'd missed a connection somewhere. "Never mind." He smiled at her and she continued eating her pizza.

* * *

Olivia awoke to the warmth of sun on her face. She did a big stretch and rolled over, snuggling tighter to the comforter. She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes. The sunlight filled the room around her and as her eyes adjusted to the light, they began to decipher an unfamiliar outline in front of her. She blinked quickly, forcing her eyesight to provide some clarity. Next to her in the bed Iayed Steve, his back to her, sleeping soundly. She jerked upward quickly and her first instinct was to look under the covers. She was dressed. Perhaps she wouldn't have minded waking up naked next to Captain Hunk, but she had only known the guy for a month. She didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about her.

Steve stirred and rolled over. He sat up when he saw Olivia doing the same.

"Morning, sunshine."

"Morning," she said. "What time is it?"

"11:17."

"Shit." Olivia leaped out of bed and scrambled to grab some clean clothes before running to the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" Steve called.

"Belle's train leaves at 12:30. I need to take her to Penn Station." she called through the door.

"I'll take you." He said. "You're not going alone after yesterday."

"Then you'd better get changed quickly."

Olivia and Steve filed into the living area where they found Tony, Clint, Bruce and Belle.

"They're alive!" Belle joked.

"We heard that you and IceCap played sleepover and we thought he might have rocked your body so hard you fell into a coma." Tony smirked. "You've been in there for 20 plus hours."

"Nothing happened, you horn dog." Olivia insisted. "We fell asleep."

"Sure, sure," Tony winked at Steve.

"Belle, Steve is taking us to the station. Are you ready?"

"Yep." she stood and hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. " It was nice to meet you all."

* * *

Steve and Olivia walked Belle to her platform where the other passengers were loading onto their trains. It was incredibly crowd as Christmas was only a couple days away and people were traveling to be with their families.

"This wasn't exactly what I had expected when I asked you to visit." Olivia said sadly. "I promise next time we won't be nearly kidnapped."

"It's okay," Belle smiled. "I got to spend the evening with Bruce."

"Wait, what?" Olivia asked.

"Yea. He saw me waiting outside your door after Steve stopped by so he asked if I wanted to join him for dinner. We had pizza and I was telling him about my tiny house work. He said something about how he couldn't do tiny living because of the other guy. I guess that's his roommate. Or…." Belle stopped to think for a moment. "Maybe it's his boyfriend!? Oh my gosh, I was flirting with him all night!"

Steve and Olivia fell into a fit of laughter before explaining to Belle.

"He's, well, he turns into the Hulk. That's what he means by the Other Guy," Steve said.

"Oh wow." Belle turned to face Olivia again. "In that case, could you, like, give him my number?"

* * *

 **A/N:** So it took a little turn there. Some action for you guys. As always, thanks to my Beta **wantfanfics**. Also thanks to **a** **ven91** and **darkpoisonivy** for your reviews on the last chapter! Thank you to the numerous people who have followed or favorited the story. I really appreciate it!


	7. Naughty or Nice

Steve zipped up his coat as he stepped onto the helipad and into the brisk weather. He glanced at his watch, which read 7:25. The sun was barely up and yet, across the helipad, Olivia was bent over, adjusting a small machine with a wrench. He shoved his gloved hands into his pockets and watched her as she worked, oblivious to the fact that he was there.

She finished adjusting her device with the wrench, she stepped back and cocked her head to the side. Steve could almost picture the inquisitive look on her face as her mind was racing with thoughts. She knelt down again and grabbed some wire clippers, cutting a pair of the wires in front of them, re-wiring them and wrapping them in electrical tape. She stood again and admired her work. Feeling satisfied, she turned and walked across the helipad to her work station, a cluttered area by the door, scattered with papers, tools, a blanket and an empty mug. Her face was red from the cold and her lips were white and chapped. When she saw Steve, a smile crawled across her face.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Steve smiled. "You're not wearing any gloves." He took her hands in his. Even though he was wearing gloves, she still felt the butterflies flare up in her stomach.

"Yea, they get in the way when I'm trying to work," she explained.

"Here, put mine on while you're not working."

"No, no, that's okay."

"I insist." He said and she agreed, slipping her hands into the oversized gloves. "Why are you working today? It's Christmas Eve."

"Well, the work doesn't stop just because it's a holiday," Olivia said.

"I'm sure it can wait a couple days. You deserve a break, especially after all that's happened recently," he said. Olivia looked torn. She wanted to spend the holidays hanging out with the Avengers, as they'd grown pretty close over the last two months, especially Steve, but she also wanted to make more progress on her deterrence device. "Here, I'll help you clean up and then we can get some hot chocolate. How does that sound?"

"That sounds really great." She smiled.

Steve and Olivia sat on the couch in the communal living area. White Christmas was playing on the television.

"Your favorite, right?" Steve asked and she nodded. He remembered from their dance at the Stark Christmas party. He stood and sat down his mug of hot chocolate, extending his hand to her. "Shall we?"

She took his hand and followed as he led her across the room as if it were a dance floor.

"You've been practicing," she smiled. His face flushed.

"I might have spent a couple nights working on my moves."

"You said you were a dead hoofer last time," she laughed.

"Well, maybe I wanted to impress you," he grinned.

"Impress me? Why would you want to impress little ole me?" She smiled.

"Well, maybe I like you." He said quietly and as they turned in a circle, he pulled her closer.

"Oh yea?" She questioned, and he nodded. "Well, maybe I like you too."

He slowed his dancing and put both of his hands around her waist. As he leaned in close to her, he took in everything about her. The way she smelled like vanilla. The way her freckles sprawled across her nose and cheeks, and the lone freckle on the edge of her upper lip. The way her breathing slowed. He pressed his lips to hers and Olivia felt as if she would just melt under his touch. As she parted her lips ever so slightly, ready to brush his with her tongue and deepen their kiss, they were interrupted.

"Come on, keep it PG, you're in a communal living area," Tony said, as he walked through to the kitchen. Steve sighed in annoyance.

"What are you doing here? You have your own kitchen. One that's bigger, and probably has more alcohol," he said.

"Eh, I wanted to check up on you kids. Make sure you're using protection and what not. Can't have any little IceCaps running around in Stark Tower. This thing is not baby-proofed in the slightest."

Steve and Olivia looked at each other and then quickly looked away, their faces hot and red with embarrassment.

"We were only kissing, Tony," Olivia finally said.

"We all know where they leads," Tony smirked. Olivia sat back on the couch and sipped her hot chocolate, hoping the mug would cover her face as she drank. Steve rolled his eyes at Tony and sat next to Olivia. They were quiet until Tony finished rummaging in the fridge and, deciding he had spent enough time in their business, left the living area.

"That was...fun," Olivia laughed.

"Something like that," Steve agreed. "Say, what do you usually do for Christmas?"

"Not much. If I'm home, which is rare, Dad and I spend all day watching A Christmas Story and I would bake."

"Oh yea? What do you bake?"

"Pumpkin pies, apple crostatas,"

"What's an apple crostata?" He asked.

"It's sort of like a pie. I can make one if you'd like to try it."

"We can make it together if you'll show me how," he suggested. Olivia thought she might faint. Captain America wanted to bake with her? Was she dreaming? Should she pinch herself?

"Okay," she smiled and made her way into the kitchen. She preheated the oven and grabbed some apples from the fruit basket. "If you want to slice these, I'll get the ingredients for the dough." Steve rummaged through the cabinets for a cutting board and began slicing the apples. Olivia brought flour, butter, and a cup of water to the counter and began measuring out the portions. "You can use store-bought crust, or just make it yourself. This recipe is called 3-2-1 dough, because it's three parts flour, two parts butter, and one part water." She mixed the ingredients together and rolled out the dough, flouring the surface as she flattened it. When she was satisfied, she slid it onto a cookie sheet.

"Now what?" Steve asked as he finished slicing the apples.

"Now we put the slices in a bowl and cover them with cinnamon and sugar," she smiled. "In the South, everything is made with lots of butter, lots of sugar, and lots of love." They sprinkled the cinnamon and sugar in the huge bowl and then, together, used their hands to coat the apple slices. Every time her hand would brush his, Olivia felt her heart skip a beat. It was like she was 18 again. "Okay, good. Now we just pour the apples over the crust and fold in the edges."

"It's a circle. It doesn't have edges," Steve teased.

"Well, you know what I mean." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Just press it under like this all the way around and then we'll pop it in the oven."

Steve washed the dishes and Olivia dried them before they returned again to the couch.

"Hey guys," Clint greeted as he walked into the living area. He inhaled deeply and his eyes widened. "What is that smell?"

"It's an apple crostata. Steve and I baked it. It'll be ready in about twenty minutes."

"Cap's baking now, is he?" Clint teased. "He must like you."

"Nothing wrong with a man who knows his way around a kitchen," Olivia smiled.

"Or a man who knows his way around a woman," Clint winked and nudged Steve, who immediately blushed. "What d'ya know about that, Captain?"

"Clint, you're making him, blush!" Olivia scolded him. "Tell me, what's your best move, huh?"

"Oh, uh…" Clint blanked. "You know, I like to uh…"

"See, Steve, don't let him fool you. He doesn't know his 'way around a woman' either," She stuck out her tongue at him. "Maybe you should ask Natasha for some advice. I'm sure she'd be willing to help." Clint's face went red.

* * *

Steve laid on his bed, reading a book from the light on his bedside lamp before he went to sleep for the night. He thought back to his morning with Olivia, when she taught him how to bake the crostata that was a tradition for her family. He thought about how nice it was for Olivia to let him be a part of that tradition. As he turned the page in his book, he heard a faint knock on the door. Furrowing his brow, he marked his page and sat the book on the table, leaving his bedroom and padding into the living area. He cracked the door to find Olivia, clad in her pajamas, standing before him.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi,"

"I couldn't sleep," she said. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," he replied quickly, opening the door for her to enter. She was wearing pajama shorts and a tank-top lined with lace on the hem. He wasn't exactly expecting company, so he was without a shirt. "Everything alright?

"Oh yea, I just, I don't know, I couldn't fall asleep." She shrugged and lead the way into the bedroom.

"Here, let me turn the light on," Steve said, reaching for the switch.

"No, that's okay," she smiled. "Just the lamp is fine. Mind if I sit?" He shook his head and she sat on the bed. "Were you sleeping? Did I wake you?"

"No, I was only reading."

"Oh, okay," she said, and he sat next to her on the other side of the bed. "Did you want to go back to reading? I don't want to bother you."

"You aren't. You could never," he said, leaning back on the bed and resting his head on the pillow that was propped against the headboard. She watched as his chest rose and lowered while he breathed.

Olivia rolled over onto her side, propping herself up on her arm. With her free hand, she gently traced the outline of his pecs. She felt his muscles tense slightly and his heartbeat increase.

"So," she smirked slightly, her hand sliding down his side. "I want to give you an early Christmas present."

"Mhhhmm?" He asked softly.

"I thought I would follow up our lesson in the kitchen this morning….with a lesson in the bedroom," she spoke slowly and sultrily. She leaned into him, kissing him roughly but, somehow, also delicately. Her lips were cool against his mouth, warm from his nervousness. She pulled him into her, rolling onto him and giggling, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"Wait," he breathed, fighting to remember the morals instilled upon him. "We can't. We aren't-"

"I know you were brought up in a different time, but things have changed," she smirked.

She brought her legs to his sides as she sat up to straddle him. She bent down and kissed his neck, slowly, tracing upwards to his jaw as his eyes fluttered shut. She heard a soft moan escape his mouth and she grinned with pleasure. His hand went to her shoulder and, as it descended her arm, her tank top strap fell from her shoulder.

Steve's eyes shot open quickly. His breathing slowed as his vision adjusted to the dark. He reached over and flipped on the lamp next to his bed. He sat up, running his hands through his hair as he looked around his room, searching for evidence of Olivia's visit. When he found none, he realized it had only been a dream.

He brought himself to his feet and made way for his door. In the darkness of the halls, he found the elevator and headed to the kitchen. He needed something to distract him from his dream, from his thoughts of Olivia. Perhaps a cup of coffee would do the trick. As he crossed the threshold of the living area, his eyes fell on Olivia, who was occupying the couch by her lonesome. When she heard Steve's feet against the floor, she looked up from the book she held, one hand over her chest.

"You scared me," she said softly.

"Sorry," he replied. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," she said, marking her page and placing the book on the table in front of the couch. "I couldn't sleep. Maybe I'm too excited for Santa to visit." She giggled. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, wasting no time in brewing a pot of coffee. He joined her on the couch while he waited.

"Something woke me," he said. She turned her head, inquisitively.

"A nightmare?" She asked.

"Not exactly," Steve avoided her eyes as he felt his cheeks grow hot.

"Ohh," she looked away from him, tucking a loose strand of her auburn hair behind her ears. He observed her while she wasn't looking. She was wearing a t-shirt and pajama shorts, _short_ pajama shorts, he noticed. He watched as her hands toyed with the hem of her bottoms and his mind drifted back to his dream for only a moment. Suddenly, he bounced up, bounding for the coffee pot, even though it had not yet finished brewing. He fought to keep his back toward her.

Many minutes later, he returned with his mug, sitting again on the couch.

"You know, you'll never be able to fall back asleep with all that caffeine," she said, matter-of-factly.

"I'm not as prone to its effects due to the serum. It changed my metabolism," he responded. "But even so, at least I am in good company." She did not try to hide her smile.

"What time is it?" She asked.

Steve glanced around the room for a clock.

"After midnight," he said, not caring to be more precise.

"Hmm." She scooted a little closer to him so their legs were touching, barricaded by the fabric of his pajama pants. "Merry Christmas, Steve." She placed a quick kiss on his cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas, Olivia."

When she woke, she was unsure of her surroundings. Last she remembered, she was on the couch with Steve and now, she was in bed. She rolled over and clutched the covers, bringing them to her chin. She inhaled, only to realize that she was certainly not in her room. The covers, crisp white as hers were, encompassed a different scent. She breathed in the smell of the covers, but was interrupted before she could figure out what exactly it was.

"Good morning, and Merry Christmas," Steve poked his head in the bedroom. She was surprised she hadn't sooner realized that she was in an actual bedroom, rather than being in a bed amongst the living room. She must have been in Steve's suite.

"What am I doing here?" She questioned.

"You fell asleep on the couch. I didn't want to leave you there for everyone else to find you later. And I couldn't key into your suite so I just brought you here," he explained. "But don't worry, nothing happened," he sort of sputtered. "I slept on the couch."

She couldn't help but laugh. "You are far too much of a gentleman for me to worry about you taking advantage of me. But maybe I wouldn't have minded if we had shared the bed," she said coyly, and he looked down, chuckling softly, perhaps nervously. "Thank you for sharing your room." She crawled from under the covers and stood to leave, walking past him to the door.

"In a hurry to leave?" He asked, his brow furrowed.

"Not quite. I just need to grab something from my suite," she said. She was gone only for a couple minutes and returned with a small box, wrapped in red wrapping paper. "I, uh, I meant to give it to you a while ago. It seems rather pointless to give it to you now, but I just wasn't able to muster up the courage." He raised an eyebrow in curiosity before gingerly unwrapping the box and opening it to view its contents.

He reached in and pulled out a Christmas stocking, a royal red color with plush white fabric along the top. It was embroidered with his name in black letters. He didn't understand why this gift warranted her nervousness. Sensing that, Olivia said, "Read the note."

He flipped the stocking over to find a note attached to the back. Taking it in his hands, he read it slowly.

 _Hang this stocking in your suite_

 _to hold onto your Christmas treats._

 _If you're nice, expect Saint Nick,_

 _but if you're naughty, I can do the trick. ;)_

 _Merry Christmas,_

 _Olivia_

* * *

 **A/N:** And there you have part 7. Just a warning to you guys, I am quickly approaching the end of what I've already got written, and I am also trying to study for the GRE (which I take in about 20 days), so there may be a little bit more of a gap between chapters than usual (aka, might be more than a week) but if that does happen, I will make up for it, I promise. As usual, thank you to my beta **wantfanfics** , and thank you to **texasreader** and **darkpoisonivy** for their reviews on chapter 6. 3 Thanks to everyone who has followed or favorited. As you guys saw from last chapter, I did introduce a new OC and am thinking of breaking off with a Bruce Banner/Belle fanfic after this one is done. What do you guys think? Let me know if you're interested. Thanks, loves!

-LBD


	8. My Girl

"Thank you," he gave a small smile and held up the stocking. "This is very...cheeky."

"Well, it was meant to be sexy, but cheeky works, I suppose," Olivia laughed.

"It is sexy," he said quickly.

"Okay, well that's good," she laughed again and leaned over to kiss him.

"Is this your way of trying to tell me you want to have sex?" He blurted.

"Of course I want to have sex with you," she laughed. "Don't most women? I mean, look at you. I doubt I'd need to tell you, but, yea, I'd like to have sex with you at some point."

Steve's face turned red.

"Don't worry, Steve," she placed her hand over his. "I know you were raised in a different time and things have changed. I'm not suggesting we take our clothes off here and now - unless you wanna." She laughed again. "Just know that nowadays, you don't have to be courting or married to engage in intimacy. And no one thinks less of you for doing so. Not to mention the fact that we've only known each other for a couple months. I'm happy with where we are, and if you are too, we'll take it as it goes."

Steve smiled and kissed her.

"I'm glad you're my girl," he said.

"Me too. Now I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," Olivia smiled. "Are you down for some breakfast? I make some mean biscuits and gravy."

"That sounds really good," he smiled.

"Great. I've gotta freshen up some first, but I'll meet you downstairs?" She asked and he nodded.

Steve stepped off the elevator and into the living room where he found Clint, Tony and Pepper.

"Merry Christmas, Steve," Pepper smiled as he sat on the couch.

"Merry Christmas."

"Have you seen Olivia?" she asked.

"Yea, she's getting cleaned up." He said.

"Cleaned up? Cleaned up from _what_?" Tony questioned.

"Nothing, she's just washing her face and stuff."

Steve sat back on the couch, quietly thinking. He reached in the pocket of his pajama pants and pulled out the note that Olivia had given him. He read it over and over again.

"Whatcha got there, Cap?" Tony asked, nosily.

"Nothing," he said, folding the note back up.

"Likely story," Tony said, snatching the note out of his hands before he could put it away. He read it aloud. "'Hang this stocking in your suite to hold onto your Christmas treats. If you're nice, expect Saint Nick, but if you're naughty, I can do the trick. Merry Christmas, Olivia.' I thought you said she was just washing her face? Looks like Cap got an early Christmas present."

"Shut up," Steve sneered, taking the note back. "It was just a little note she attached to a stocking. Nothing happened."

"Nothing happened? Are you saying the biologist implied that she wanted to get you in bed and you _turned her down_? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Okay, Tony, that's enough," Pepper said.

"Seriously, though," Tony had to have the last word, no doubt. "She's a biologist. I bet she's animalistic in the bedroom. You're a fool for turning that down." Pepper rolled her eyes and Steve shot him a glare. He didn't appreciate him talking about his girl like that.

"Tony, you shouldn't talk about her like that," Clint interjected, practically reading Steve's mind. He had been quiet up until this point.

"Talk about who like what?" Olivia asked as she stepped off the elevator.

"Don't worry about it," Steve smiled as she joined them. "I was just about to tell everyone that you offered to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast."

"Indeed," she smiled.

"Will there be bacon involved in this breakfast?" Tony inquired.

"Of course, but I could use an extra set of hands to help."

"I've had a couple ladies tell me that I'm good with me hands. I'd be happy to satisfy your needs," Tony smirked at Steve and stood to lead Olivia into the kitchen.

"Just ignore him," Clint said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "He's just trying to get to you."

Suddenly there was a loud crack of lightening and Thor came bounding into the living area.

"Merry Christmas, Midgardians," Thor boomed. "I hope you were joyfully greeted by the Saint you worship."

"Thor, we don't worship Santa Claus. He's just a tradition of sorts," Pepper explained. "Nice of you to join us, though. Olivia and Tony are making a breakfast feast."

"That's right, biscuits and gravy with bacon and eggs," Clint elaborated.

"You call that a feast?" Thor's laugh thundered through the room. "Your feast is puny."

"So sorry our feast doesn't suit you, Asgardian Prince," Tony chided from the kitchen. "If you don't like it, don't like the Bifrost hit you on the way out." Thor rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Olivia, tell us about your Christmas traditions growing up," Clint suggested as they all sat around the large fir tree that evening.

"Well, when I was really young, I would wake up really early and open gifts from Santa Claus. My parents would make us breakfast and then we would go visit my great-grandmother and celebrate Christmas with her family," Olivia said. "After my mom died, we stopped going to see my great-grandmother. It was just me and my dad. In high school, I was in the marching band, so my school participated in the town Christmas parade every year. My dad would stand on the sidewalk and cheer for me when I marched past. Usually on Christmas Eve, my dad and I would watch A Christmas Story and I would bake."

"That sounds nice," Pepper smiled. "You're a very good baker. The apple crostata you made yesterday was divine."

"Hey!" Steve interjected. "I helped, ya know."

"Yes, Steve was a great helper," Olivia smiled.

Tony rolled his eyes from across the room.

* * *

Olivia fell back onto the couch in the living area, hands over her stomach.

"That was some seriously delicious food," she smiled at Steve. "It doesn't compare to a home-cooked Southern Christmas dinner but the catering was really good. I think I might fall into a food coma any minute now."

"Well, before you do that, I have something for you," Steve said, holding out a small box, which sat perfectly in his hand.

"A gift for me?" She asked, incredulously as she took the box and began unwrapping it. She lifted the lid and found a beautiful silver owl pendant hanging from a small chain necklace. "Wow, Steve. I don't know what to say. This is beautiful."

"Owls symbolize wisdom, intelligence and protection, among other things," Steve explained, but then laughed. "Although, I'm sure you know your fair share about owls."

"I love it," she smiled, turning and pulling her hair over her shoulder. "Can you put it on?"

He took the necklace from her and slowly clipped the clasp around her neck. She turned back to him and held the pendant in her hand, admiring it.

"And you said you weren't good with women," she laughed.

"Well I had a little bit of guidance," he admitted.

"Pepper?"

"No, Agent Romanoff, actually."

"Natasha?" Olivia asked and he nodded. The last time she spoke to Natasha, she called her a bitch. She couldn't imagine her being willing to help Steve pick out a gift.

"Well, you did a great job."

"Oh, one more thing," Steve reached around behind him and produced a small sprig of mistletoe, which he hastily held above their heads. Olivia laughed and leaned forward, placing a hand on his chest and she brought her lips to his.

* * *

The next morning, Olivia and Tony were on the helipad testing out the sound emulator.

"It's the day after Christmas," Tony whined. "Why are we working? And why are we doing it so early?"

"Ain't no rest for the wicked, Tony," Olivia reminded him. "Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean our work stops." She reached down and double checked the attachment before giving the emulator a love pat. "Okay, give it a go. Jarvis, please record any and all collisions and bring back a detailed flight report."

"Of course, Dr. McClain," Jarvis spoke.

"Since when do you take commands from anyone other than me?" Tony questioned.

"He knows what's good for him," Olivia smiled. "It's all to better your suit. Now go."

"How long do I have to fly around aimlessly?"

"An hour," She said, and Tony scoffed.

"Stupid birds," he muttered.

When he returned to the helipad an hour later, Olivia greeted him.

"Flight report is visible in the lab, Dr. McClain," Jarvis said.

"Great! Shall we?" She smiled at Tony.

* * *

Olivia and Tony sat in the conference room on the 12th floor. The same conference room where she met Steve for the first time.

"Director Fury," Tony spoke when his image popped up on the screen in front of them. "Olivia has finalized her sound emulator for the Iron Man suit. It works really well. She made several of them because apparently Thor wanted one too."

"Copy that," the director said. "I'll send an agent to retrieve some of them this afternoon,"

"What's next for Olivia?" Tony asked.

"Have her stay in the Tower. We might need her help again."

"Sir, with all due respect, couldn't you come and get me when you needed me again?" Olivia cut in.

"We could. But you're staying in the tower."

"What about my work at the Smithsonian?"

"What about it? Your supervisors were notified that you would be taking an extended leave of absence. You have everything you could need here in the Tower. You're free to come and go, but your residence remains here for the time being."

"Director, I didn't spend 10 plus years in school just to be locked away in some tower like Rapunzel. I would like to get back to my research."

"Unfortunately, Dr., SHIELD doesn't always take into considerations the wants of their contractors, if you will."

"So I'm basically being held here against my will?"

"I resent that," Tony butted in. Olivia ignored him.

"Dr. McClain, I do not argue, because I always win. As of right now, you are still under employment with SHIELD and you will remain at our facilities until you are instructed otherwise."

Olivia was livid. She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest, and gritted her teeth.

"Yes, Sir," she said, jaw clenched.

As she stepped off the elevator into the common area, she saw Steve on the couch.

"What's the matter?" He asked, noticing immediately that she was upset.

"It looks like Stark Tower has another permanent resident," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I finished my work with the sound emulator but I was told by Fury that I had to stay here. I have no choice and I can't return to my research at the Smithsonian."

"Oh," Steve said, stretching his arm behind her and pulling her close. "Just look at the bright side. You get to stay here with me."

"I can't complain about that, that's for sure," she smiled.

* * *

 **A/N:** So first, I want to say that this is not what I originally wrote for this chapter, but I changed it based on where I wanted the story to go. And that's why it's a little shorter than usual. Please forgive me. Next week, I will be out of town for work and may not be able to post until late Friday or maybe even Saturday morning, so _just a head's up_! Thanks to my beta, **wantfanfics,** as always. Also thank you to the awesome people who left reviews: **alyssa300, Marmite-1, aven91,** and **TeamFreeWill2.** Thank you! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Any and all feedback is appreciated!

-LBD


	9. Playboy

Steve knocked on Olivia's door and waited for her to answer.

"Change out of your pajamas and get dressed," he told her. Olivia glanced at the clock on her wall.

"It's like 8:30 PM. Where are we going?"

"Just get dressed and meet me downstairs."

"Am I supposed to dress fancy?"

"Dress in what makes you happy. You're beautiful either way," he smiled and kissed her. "But casual is fine."

Olivia met Steve on the first floor. She had decided on a pair of blue jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt. He laced his hand in hers and pulled her back into the elevator, pressing the B button.

"Why are we going to the garage?"

"Because we need a car."

Steve escorted her over to Tony's Audi Q5, holding the door open for her as she climbed in and buckled up. He took his place in the driver's seat and rolled down the windows before heading toward the garage door.

"Do you have permission to use this?" She asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"Do you even have a license?" Olivia questioned. "One that's not expired?"

"Of course, I do!" He scoffed at her. "How's your research been going?"

Since Olivia wasn't allowed to return back to the Smithsonian, she had spent the last four months conducting research in the city on urban wildlife, trapping rodents, tagging them, and then tracking them with radio collars to monitor their movements and interactions. She hoped to compare rodent movement to density of people.

"It's been going well," she said. "I tagged four new individuals yesterday. Looks like one was nursing, so she must have a nest somewhere with babies."

"That's very good, then," Steve said, although he sounded unsure.

They drove through the city, the bright lights outshining the stars in the sky. The temperature was cool, as it was early April. Spring came late in the city.

"Where are we going?" Olivia asked again as they headed out of the city.

"It's a surprise."

Forty-five minutes later, they were pulling into a drive-in theater.

"The drive in!?" Olivia exclaimed excitedly. "How did you know I wanted go?"

"You told me when I was showing you around Brooklyn in November," he said.

"You remembered?"

"I remember a lot of things you say," he smiled and gave her a quick kiss before leaning out of the window to pay their entrance fee.

"You sure are something, Steve," she smiled as he parked the car. "Why are you parked backwards? The screen is the other way."

"Just be patient. I'll be right back," he smiled, putting a baseball cap on before stepping out of the car. A few minutes later, he opened the driver's side door and handed Olivia a large popcorn. "I got a Cola. Do you mind if we share?" Olivia shook her head and threw a handful of popcorn in her mouth. "I went easy on the butter."

"Good, that stuff stays on your hands for days!" She laughed. Steve closed the door again and went around to the back of the car, popping the hatch open. He opened Olivia's door for her and took her hand. In the back of the crossover was a plethora of pillows and blankets.

"I figured this would be more comfortable than the bucket seats," he smiled. Olivia couldn't hide her amazement. "Climb in," he offered her a hand and crawled in behind her, wrapping her in his arms. She snuggled into his chest, still within reach of the popcorn, of course, and wrapped a light blanket around them.

* * *

"Olivia," Steve whispered, as he gently poked her shoulder. "Wake up."

Olivia let out a snort of sorts from the passenger seat, her head resting against the headrest, mouth wide open, as she slept.

"Olivia," Steve nudged her again and she jerked awake, her eyes wide open with fear.

"What's wrong?" She questioned.

"Nothing, you were asleep. I just was trying to wake you up," he smiled. "We're back at the Tower."

"I was asleep? You saw me sleeping?" She asked and he nodded. "With my mouth open and everything?!"

He laughed. "Yea, I saw that."

"Oh my gosh, how embarrassing!" She exclaimed, covering her face with her hands.

"Nah, it was kinda cute."

"Pshh, yea okay," she snorted, as she clamored out of the car. Steve walked her to her floor and they stood outside the door for a minute.

"I had a really good time tonight, Olivia," Steve said, blushing slightly.

"Me too, Steve, me too."

"I, uh," he cleared his throat. "I've been wanting to tell you that...I, uh,"

"Yes, Steve?" She asked, hoping he would spit it out already.

"Well, I lo- like you a lot. I like you a lot, Olivia," he sputtered. Olivia paused, not quite expecting him to put it _that way_.

"I like you too, Steve." She gave him a small smile, kissed his cheek and opened the door to her suite. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Night," he said softly, as the door closed behind her.

 _You blew it,_ he thought to himself. _I like you a lot? Just what a woman wants to hear._

* * *

"You kids got in awfully late last night," Tony smirked when Olivia entered the lab the next morning.

"Yea, yea," she jeered. "We saw a late movie."

"I know, I let IceCap borrow the car," Tony said, matter-of-factly. "Did you actually watch the movie or did you...'get to know' each other?" He made the air quotes with his fingers.

"Of course we watched the movie!"

"Capsicle didn't make a move on you?"

"No. We were there to watch the movie," she reiterated.

"Mmm, I see, I see."

"Anyway, I just came to get some batteries. My telemetry hand piece died."

"Speaking of, are you just spending your days playing with rats?"

"...and mice," she said. "Nick won't let me leave the Tower and go back to my work, so I'm improvising. If I get a large enough sample size, I can publish this research."

"You can probably get it published regardless. I can pull some strings for you."

"How nice," she said, half-sarcastic. "I'd prefer to let me talent speak for itself, though."

"As you wish. Let me know when you submit for peer review," he said, tossing her a pack of batteries.

"Thanks," she said, catching them and making her way to the elevator.

"Oh, and Olivia?" Tony called and she turned to face him. "Cap's a nice guy, but how long do you think you can go before getting bored with him, if all he offers is kisses on the cheek and the occasional make-out session?"

"Not everyone's a playboy, Tony. And not everyone puts such an emphasis on sexual activity."

"We'll see," he muttered to himself.

* * *

"Want to go for a run?" Steve asked as he plopped onto the couch next to Olivia.

"With you?" She asked. "No way. I'll be eating your dust!"

"Aw, come on," he pleaded. "I'll go easy on ya."

"I don't see this being a good idea," she laughed.

"You said one of your New Year Resolutions was to get in shape, didn't you?"

She sat silently for a minute, imagining Steve in a fitted t-shirt and gym shorts, sweat glistening on his skin. She found that that to be quite an enticing picture, so she agreed.

"I'll go change," she said.

"Me too, meet you back down here?" He asked and she nodded.

Fifteen minutes later, she was dressed in a teal sports bra and black shorts, with matching teal and pink new balance tennis shoes. She waited downstairs for Steve, who arrived shortly. Much to Olivia's dismay, he was wearing sweatpants. She also couldn't help but notice that Steve was staring at her.

Steve couldn't avert his eyes when he saw that Olivia was wearing only a sports bra as her top. His gaze immediately went to her stomach. She was thin, but it wasn't like she was a size zero. She had this sexy sense of normalcy, if that even made sense.

"Don't stare," she said, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I can't help that I'm so pale."

"No, no," he chuckled nervously. "Blue looks good on you, is all."

She followed him out of the tower and they made their way through the city. It was only a few blocks to Bryant Park, a small green space behind the public library. They started out at a steady jog. Olivia could feel the burn creeping up her calves. It had been too long since she last went running. Steve kept to his word - he didn't leave her behind. She figured it was probably boring for him, as he couldn't push himself, but it was as if Steve read her mind.

"Don't worry, I like a slower pace sometimes, too," he said.

"Gee, thanks," she laughed.

She watched as his muscles tensed and relaxed after each step. The sweat was pooling around his lower back and Olivia couldn't help but let her eyes drift a _little bit_ lower.

"I'm being outrun by a senior citizen," she commented as he pulled ahead of her.

"Hey now!" He laughed, nudging her arm with his elbow. She lost her balance and fell right to the ground. "Oh man, I'm sorry!"

Olivia couldn't help but laugh as she pulled herself onto her butt, burring her face in her knees.

"Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling next to her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to knock ya down."

"You're stronger than you think," she said as she hoisted herself up. "I'm okay, let's keep going."

They ran for what felt like hours, although Olivia came to find it had only been about 45 minutes.

"Okay, I think this is my breaking point," she huffed. "You've got some crazy endurance and I, well, I don't."

"You gave it a good run," he clasped his hand over her shoulder.

"Thanks," she gave a small smile as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm gonna do some stretches to cool down." She slowly walked over to the grassy patch closest to them and plopped down to the ground. Steve sat across from her and stared at her expectantly. Olivia raised her eyebrows at her questioningly.

"I don't usually stretch, so I'm going to follow your lead."

"Oh, okay," she said. "Uh, let's start by spreading our legs and then reach for your foot with the opposite hand." She took her left arm and stretched it out, reaching to touch her right foot. "And then switch." Olivia felt Steve's eyes watching her as she stretched. "Now to the middle." She leaned forward, keeping her back straight and grabbed her toes as she rested parallel to the ground.

"Okay, I am not that flexible," Steve laughed.

"That's okay, just go as far as you can."

She stood up and Steve copied her.

"Now put your legs shoulder width apart and bend down to one side," she instructed.

Steve watched as Olivia slowly bent to her right side. He watched as a droplet of sweat rolled down her back toward her neck. Her body was speckled with freckles, much like the stars in the night sky, and they glowed an amber color under the sun. Olivia switched sides and Steve did the same before she sat on the ground again.

"Now our backs," she said. She turned so Steve was on her right side and she placed her right leg over her left, positioning her elbow behind her right knee and pushing away. Steve found that he was mesmerized by the movement of her hips. He just couldn't look away. She let out a long sigh after she had switched sides. "I think that's enough for today. Perhaps enough to carry me through the whole month."

"Ah, c'mon, it wasn't that bad," Steve offered his hand to help her up. "I think you did a great job."

"That's very nice of you, but I know you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Maybe I'm just saying it so you'll join me again soon?"

"Maybe if you play your cards right, _Captain_ ," she smiled, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

* * *

 **A/N** : Well here it is. I am currently in the process of writing next week's chapter, so fingers crossed it will be done in time. If not, I may have to post on Saturday. Thank you so much for your patience, for all of your favorites and reviews!


	10. Relocating

"Hey Tony," Olivia started as she stepped off the elevator and into the lab. "Something weird is happening."

"What's that?" He asked, not looking up from his work.

"My key card is denying me access to my suite," she complained. "I just got back and I've got all these traps and supplies that I'd rather not carry around all day. It's like 7 o'clock and I'm tired."

"Cap didn't tell you?"

"Tell me...what?"

"You're moving!"

"I'm leaving the Tower?"

"Ahh, no. You're moving suites."

"I'm sorry, what?" Olivia asked, incredulously. "I'm moving into Steve's suite?"

Tony looked up from his work and busted out into a loud, booming laughter.

"Oh man, that's a good one," he wiped a single tear from his eye. "Of course you're not moving in with him. It's Captain Rogers we're talking about, right? You'll probably have to marry before you can move in together." Olivia didn't find his jokes funny. "He thought you should have a suite with a private bedroom so he asked that you be moved. Your key card has been rekeyed for the suite on the 59th floor. Your stuff should already be there. This one has an office, too. You can do your writing and keep your research equipment there." Olivia raised her eyebrow, questioningly. "Another suggestion by that boyfriend of yours, or whatever it is you call him."

Olivia exited the lab and made her way up to the 59th floor. She held her key card to the access panel and watched as the small light turned green and the door lock clicked open. She pushed open the door and found Steve sitting on her couch.

"Surprise," he smiled.

"Yes, indeed it is. I heard you thought I needed a different suite?"

"Well, I just thought you should have your own bedroom. Weren't you tired of sleeping in your living room?"

"I guess so," she shrugged. "I just considered it mostly temporary."

"It's been six months."

"Yea, well, that's a minor detail," she laughed. "Anyway, let's check out this private bedroom, shall we?" Olivia led the way into the bedroom. When she opened the door, she was greeted with the smell of mangoes, wafting from a candle on the chest of drawers. The queen bed had a white comforter, just as it had in her original suite, but at the foot of the bed, a light green throw was draped. The head of the bed was covered in throw pillows that varied in shades of green.

"Well that's different from before," Olivia said.

"Do you like the pillows?" Steve asked and she nodded. "I picked them out myself."

"How did you know green was my favorite color?"

"It compliments your hair," he answered. "And Tony told me. He's got all your info on file."

"Oh, I see. Well resourcefulness is definitely an admirable trait." Olivia laughed. "What's that?" She pointed to something that had caught her eye on the bedside table.

"It's a ceramic turtle. They don't really have any olig, uh, olien,"

"Olinguitos?"

"Yea, that. Your file said they were your favorite. There aren't really any figurines of those. Hell, even if they did, I wouldn't know what to look for. So I got a reptile instead, since I know you like them."

"Aw, Steve," Olivia stepped close to him and put a hand on his chest. "That's so thoughtful."

"Well, who knows how long you'll be here. I wanted you to be comfortable and have a place that was your own."

Olivia smiled and stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips. He slid his around around her waist and let his other hand curl around the back of her neck. She took a slow breath in as his tongue slid across her bottom lip. As she gently sucked his lip between her teeth, she felt his heart race under his shirt. She filled her fists with the material of his shirt and fell back on the bed, pulling him onto her. His weight crashed down on her, knocking the breath out of her.

"Probably should've thought that one through." She let out a soft laugh, but quickly occupied her mouth with his. As he ran his hand down her arm, he left a trail of goosebumps and Olivia drew in a quick breath. She ran her fingers through his hair as she moved her mouth along his chin, to his neck, and then the little nook at the base of his neck where his shoulder began. As her tongue moved in small circles against his cool skin, a moan escaped him. Olivia smiled into his shoulder and trailed back to his mouth.

As she wrapped her legs around him, she felt him grow beneath her and her face tinged pink. She reached between them and began unfastening his belt. She was surprised when he kicked his pants off and allowed them to fall to the ground. Olivia wasted no time in pulling off her shirt, revealing her lacy black bra. Steve couldn't help but stare at her. He'd seen her in a sports bra when they went running before, but seeing her in the lace, essentially, in his mind, in lingerie, had his eyes glued. She bit her lip and looked away, brushing her hair behind her ear. If she lingered on her embarrassment, she thought she might chicken out, so she quickly made for Steve's shirt, eager to get it off of him. Once they'd managed to remove it, she brought her body back to his. Her skin was warm against him. Olivia took Steve's hand in hers and brought it to her breast, where Steve gently cupped it, despite his large hand dwarfing her. Her thin and petite frame matched her A-cup breasts, but Steve didn't mind. He found her attractive regardless, and an A-cup was enough to satisfy him.

Olivia almost whimpered as Steve ran his hands down to her hips, sending chills across every inch of skin he touched. She reached for the band of his boxer briefs, but he grabbed her hand.

"Are you sure?" He asked softly. Olivia couldn't help but think that he, himself, was unsure. She nodded.

"Are you?" He didn't answer immediately. "Steve, if this is going to make things awkward between us or if it's too fast, we can wait."

"Well, we've been together for a while," he said, his hands resting on her thighs.

"No one has to know what we do," she said. "It's up to you."

"I'm sure," he said.

"Okay. Where's my purse?" She asked and Steve pointed to the arm chair in the corner of the bedroom, where her bag sat. She crawled out from under him and sauntered over to her bag, bending over to rummage in it. Steve was enchanted by her. "Do you like what you see?" She called, without looking back.

"How do you know I was looking?" Steve chuckled.

"Because you're a man. And because it's a nice ass." She found what she was looking for and turned around.

"You got me there. It is nice," he smiled and Olivia kicked her pants off, revealing her matching black lacy underwear. "Do you always match your undergarments?"

"I'm from the South. My bra and panties _always_ match," she said and held up the condom she'd retrieved from her bag. "Now, where were we?"

"Do you always have those on hand?"

"So many questions," she teased. "Yes, I usually have them with me. You never know when the moment might come along," she laughed and crawled back onto the bed, plopping herself onto him and straddling him. He laid his hands back on her thighs and looked into her eyes.

"What?" She asked, when he hadn't said anything.

"You're beautiful," he smiled. "That's all."

"Thank you." She leaned down and kissed him again, with more force than before. Her mouth moved from his lips to his neck to his chest, kissing inch after inch of his skin. She slid down his body, kissing his stomach, his hips and then above the waistband of his briefs, before she pulled them off. She tore open the condom wrapper and rolled it on, before losing her own underwear and rolling Steve over on top of her.

 **A/N:** So Steve finally got some action. Hope you guys like it. I kept it a little more...appropriate, so hopefully that's okay. I am sorry that this chapter is a little shorter, and I hope you forgive me because there's some good stuff coming up in a couple weeks, so keep that in mind. :) Plus, like I said, I have my huge exam tomorrow so I didn't get to spend as much time fine-tuning this chapter and I didn't want to fluff it up just to add words. :P Special thanks to my beta, **wantfanfics** for giving her input as always. Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, or reviewed. You guys keep me going! 3 Let me know what you think.

-LBD


	11. Celestials

"Captain Rogers," Jarvis's voice echoed through Olivia's new bedroom, and, out of instinct, she clutched the covers tight around her chest at the sound of a somewhat foreign voice.

"Mmmmm, yes Jarvis?" Steve's voice was deep and rumbling first thing in the morning, and Olivia found it incredibly sexy. She rolled over and kissed his neck.

"Captain Rogers, your immediate presence has been requested on the 12th floor."

"Can't it wait?" Olivia almost whined, snaking her arm back around Steve's chest and placing more kisses on his neck and shoulder.

"I'm afraid not," Jarvis spoke. "It appears Earth is under another alien invasion."

"Ah no, not again," Steve groaned as he threw the covers off of them and slid out from under Olivia. He stood, reaching for his jeans on the floor.

"Wait, what?" Olivia asked. "Jarvis, what do you mean an alien invasion?"

"I'm afraid that is the only information I'm privy to, Dr. McClain."

"Wait, Steve," Olivia called as he made for the door.

"Olivia, I'm sorry, I have to go. Can we talk later?" She didn't say anything, just nodded.

She threw on sweatpants and a t-shirt and followed Steve's trail to the 12th floor, where she was stopped by Pepper. Steve was already in the conference room. Olivia could see Nick Fury through the glass walls that surrounded the room.

"Avengers only, I'm afraid." Pepper shrugged with a smile, taking in Olivia. She glanced back at Steve as he stood in the conference room, his jeans wrinkled and his hair disheveled. She couldn't help but notice that both were uncharacteristic of Steve. "Wait, did you guys come down _together_?"

Olivia shrugged. "Yea."

"Did you…?"

Olivia blushed and avoided eye contact.

"Oh my," Pepper smiled.

"Don't say anything," Olivia said. "I don't know that he wants anyone to know. We didn't really get to the morning after thing, Jarvis kinda ripped him away." Pepper nodded in agreement.

Olivia watched as the conversation in the conference room progressed. Pepper had been through this a time or two before, and she knew this meeting wouldn't end any time soon. She took Olivia by the arm and lead her to the living area.

Inside the conference room, Nick was explaining the current status of the situation.

"Reports began just about an hour ago of huge humanoid beings entering the earth's atmosphere from some unknown source. They're called the Celestials."

"What do they want?" Steve questioned.

"As it turns out, they actually visit Earth every few thousand years. Obviously, this is our first interaction with them. Anyway, they visit in groups called Hosts and they're responsible for the genetic manipulation and therefore creation of mutants."

"So they're here to create more?" Clint asked.

"Well, that is a hypothesis. Another thing we know for sure is that new Celestials are born by consuming the entire mass of a galaxy," Nick said. "So it may be that they're here for….a little snack, so to speak."

Suddenly, the air was filled with the loud booming of thunder and Thor came bounding in, heading straight to the conference room.

"Nice of you to join us," Nick said.

"My apologies, inter-realm traffic was heavy this morning," Thor chided. "What's going on?"

"We've got extraterrestrial visitors. Celestials to be more specific."

"Celestials?!" Thor questioned.

"What do you know about them?" Steve asked.

"My father and the other Skyfathers of Earth tried to stop the Third Host, but failed. They developed a plan to stop the Fourth Host using the Odinsword but it was outmatched. Numbers of Asgardians died in the battle. The Earthmothers made an offering of twelve perfect humans, which is the only thing that prevented Earth's destruction."

"Great," Clint sighed. "Well, if we don't do something quickly, I'm pretty sure that number will be higher than twelve."

"The Celestials basically look like huge armored humans. I'm talking thousands of feet tall. You can't miss them," Nick said.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Steve asked.

An hour later, Steve appeared in the living area, fully dressed in his uniform.

"Steve, what's going on?" Olivia asked worriedly.

"We're still unsure about a lot, just know that you are safe here, and if, for any reason you or Pepper feel unsafe, she knows where to go and how to get there," he assured her. "I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I'll do my best to make it soon." She nodded and Steve held her face in his hands, bringing his lips to hers. He let out a sigh and turned to head back to the elevator.

"Hey Steve," she said, and he stopped to face her. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Never," he smiled before disappearing.

* * *

"Alright guys," Steve did a quick test of his earpiece. The city was flanked with about ten Celestials. "Everyone good?"

"The Hawk is perched," Clint's voice filled Steve's ear and he rolled his eyes.

"Good, let's hope those arrows are all accurate."

"Don't worry about that, Cap."

"Agent Romanoff?"

"Ready to kick ass and take names," she confirmed.

"Stark?"

"Sam and I are mile-high club ready," he said.

"Who's got Bruce?" Steve asked.

"Tony ought to," Thor responded and Steve could hear Tony groan into the ear piece.

"But I did it last time!"

"Someone just get him angry, damn."

"Language," Tony scoffed sarcastically as he departed Sam's side and swooped down to grab Bruce.

"Tony, isn't there another way we could've done this?" Bruce asked, shifting his eyes nervously down toward the ground.

"Probably, but where's the fun in that?"

"What happens if the Other Guy doesn't come out and I splat on the ground?"

"You're a doctor, we'll get you put back together," Tony laughed, and before Bruce could respond, he dropped him from the sky.

"I'm not that kind of doctor!" He called back, but was quickly silenced as he transformed into the giant green being.

"Alright everyone, let's do this."

* * *

"I'm worried," Olivia sighed as she propped her legs up on the ottoman in front of her. "Do you get worried? When Tony goes out and fights?"

"I do, but I've had a little more time to get used to it," Pepper admitted. "He's come home every time, though, so I just remind myself of that."

"Yea," Olivia tugged at the hem of her T-shirt. "I'd just hate to imagine last night being our first and last night, you know, _together_."

"Oh, Olivia!" Pepper exclaimed, placing her hand atop of Olivia's. "Don't think like that! For all you know, the memory of last night could be what's fueling Steve to keep going!"

Olivia gave a small smile.

"I know what will help," Pepper stood and walked over to the bar. "Tony has taught me all the tricks. Two mimosas coming right up!"

* * *

Tony and Sam parted and circled around on of the Celestials. Tony began deploying missiles from his suit. Meanwhile, Sam used his ability to control birds to gather a large flock of hawks and crows, which swooped in between missiles and began attacking the Celestial. Thor and Steve partnered to take one of the Celestials, with Thor wielding Mjolnir and Steve boomeranging his shield off of the being repeatedly. Between the two of them, they managed to mangle the Celestial's armor before taking it down, the towering alien crashing into anything and everything in its path as it fell.

Clint shot arrow after arrow, each one penetrating perfectly into the tiny gaps between pieces of armor, puncturing one of the Celestials and causing it to crash down. All around them, people were running frantically, screaming and crying. Mothers and fathers were carrying their children, attempting to find a sanctuary in the closest place they could. Agent Maria Hill was on the ground, working with the NYPD to direct citizens to safety.

" _WHY_ do the aliens always attack New York City?!" One of the officers asked, exasperatedly . "You know, I hear California is really quite lovely this time of year."

Maria let out a small laugh as she directed people into the subway.

"Don't worry Joe," another officer said. "The Avengers saved us last time, I have no doubt they'll do it again."

"Good attitude," Maria commented. "Now could you guys get to the 28th and Astor Place subway stations and man them? Train traffic has been stopped between stations. Fill in as many people as you can, pack them in if you have to."

The officers took off sprinting toward the other subway entrances, turning down side streets to avoid the huge Celestials. The Hulk swung himself up one, mirroring a scene from King Kong, thrashing, clawing, and smashing into its armor.

"Romanoff, how's it looking?" Steve asked.

"It's all good over here." Natasha offered.

"Someone help!" A woman shrieked from down the street and Steve sprinted over to her, strapping his shield to his back.

"Ma'am, ma'am," he said calmly. "What's the matter?"

"My son! He's trapped in that pile of rubble!"

Steve began picking up large chunks of concrete and bricks, chunking them to the side as if they were nothing more than feathers. Suddenly, he heard coughing and, after picking up another slap of concrete, he came face to face with a young boy, about eight years old.

"Young man, are you hurt?" Steve questioned.

"My arm is cut," he said. Swooping down, Steve grabbed the boy, cradling him in his arms and carrying him carefully over to his mother.

"Thank you, thank you," she said, tears in her eyes.

"You're very welcome, ma'am. Now, get yourself to safety. Get to the nearest subway station." She nodded and took off. Moments later, Natasha's voice erupted in his earpiece.

"Steve watch out!" Natasha called, but it was too late. Steve turned on his heel, with just enough time to come face to face with the foot of a Celestial. Colliding with the armored foot, Steve went flying, crashing into a bus stop along the road, which fell around him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Alright guys. A little bit of action. I'm not wonderful at writing the action scenes, so if you have feedback, let me know. I can always come back and edit it for later readers if there's something you think should be changed. Thank you to **aven91** and **kyuumihaira** who left reviews. My apologies that this has been posted a day late. I am at a conference on the coast and the wifi is spotty, so when I went back to the room to post tonight, there was no internet! Thanks for being understanding. Next chapter is ready for posting on next Friday!

In other news, I have just started a Loki/OC fanfiction. It won't be posted for a while, but the idea came to me and I wanted to go ahead and start writing it.

-LBD


	12. Another Target

"Captain America?!" Steve looked up, blinking to clear his eyes from the smoke that resulted when the bus stop collapsed around him. There was shattered glass around him and the bench was cracked down the middle. Above him, a young blonde woman was crouching over him. He jumped to his feet and dusted his suit off.

"Ma'am," he nodded, turning to run off toward the chaos.

"Wait!" She called and he halted, stepping back to face her. "Do you remember the New York incident?"

"Of course. How could I forget?"

"You saved me in the bank that day. I was almost killed and you saved my life. I'll never forget that."

"All in a day's work, ma'am," he smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got more work to do."

"Wait, before you go, I - I just want to say thank you." And before Steve could say or do anything, the blonde woman had her lips pressed against his and her arms wrapped around him. He froze, standing there like he had no control of his body, before finally stepping away from her.

"Ay Cap, if you're done making your rounds with the ladies, I think the rest of the city could use your help," Tony's voice, clearly agitated, filled Steve's head through his earpiece and he quickly took off running, away from the blonde girl and back to defending the city.

* * *

Olivia sat on the couch with Pepper, drinking their mimosas and flipping through the channels. Pepper stopped on a news channel that was displaying footage from what looked like a war scene.

"Witnesses are saying that the attack came from out of nowhere, but that the Avengers, the team responsible for fighting the alien attack during what is now known as The Battle of New York, quickly came prepared to fight," the news anchor spoke as she stood amongst debris. The camera cut to a scene that showed Steve digging a young boy out of a pile of rubble, and carrying him in his arms.

"I'll bet Steve would be a great dad," Pepper commented, taking Olivia by surprise. "I mean, sure he'd probably be a little more tradition, but he adapted well to the 21st century. I'll bet he'd be wrapped around his child's fingers. Oh, especially if it were a girl. Just imagine it, he'd go out and teach her to play baseball and then, no doubt, he'd teach her how to fight." Olivia laughed and turned her attention back to the television.

"Witnesses also said that fighting wasn't the only thing on the mind of our superheroes this afternoon."

The screen cut to a clip from the fight and Olivia thought for sure she was imagining things. There on her TV screen was Steve kissing some woman she had never seen before.

"Oh my God," Pepper muttered.

"What the hell?" Olivia questioned. "Can you rewind that?"

"Olivia, I don't think that's-"

"Pepper, just rewind the damn thing!" She exclaimed. "Please?" Pepper sighed and did as she was told. Olivia watched as Steve and the mystery woman stood in the streets of battle-torn New York, kissing each other. "What the fuck is this? Who is that woman?"

"I have no idea." Pepper answered.

"I knew all of this was too good to be true," Olivia sighed as she downed the remaining half of her glass and pushed herself off the couch.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to my room. Anyone who needs me can find me there, but if Steve asks, I don't want to talk to him right now," she answered.

When the Avengers arrived back at the tower hours later, they were bloodied and beat up, but still in tact. Everyone slumped down in the first spot they could find. Bruce wrapped himself in a blanket and leaned against the wall. Clint picked at his arrows.

"Everyone alright?" Pepper asked, bringing them glasses of water.

"We will be, once you turn that water into wine," Tony said as he sneaked a kiss on her cheek. "Nobody's broken, just some scrapes and scratches."

"Hey, where's Olivia?" Steve asked and Pepper's eyes darted around nervously, which worried him. "Is she okay?" Pepper sighed.

"There's something you should see," Pepper grabbed the remote and pulled up the footage from the newscast, hitting play. The room watched in silence as the scene between Steve and the blonde girl played out in front of them.

"Oh God," Steve muttered. "Tell me she didn't see this."

"She did. We saw it as soon as it aired."

"Is she in her room?" Steve stood quickly but winced a little and grabbed his knee.

"Steve, she doesn't want to talk to you. She told me that explicitly," Pepper said softly. "Besides, you're hurt. You should get checked out first."

Steve ignored every word Pepper said as he made his way to the elevator.

When he reached the 59th floor, he knocked on Olivia's door.

"Olivia," he said. "It's me."

"Go away."

"Olivia, please,"

"I don't want to talk to you!" She yelled, her words slow and deliberate. "Go away."

"Olivia, open the door."

"No." A silence fell over the two for a moment. Steve pressed his forehead against the door.

"You and I both know I have the strength to knock this door off its hinges," he said finally.

Olivia stood from the couch and cracked the door, barely enough to see half of Steve's face.

"Olivia, please let me in so I can talk to you."

Olivia opened the door all the way, pushing it angrily, and stepping back to let him in.

"I can explain," he started.

"Yea, I know. That's what they always say," she said.

"Look, Olivia, I don't even know that broad," Steve said. "She just came up to me and kissed me before I could even do anything. It was just some wild encounter."

"You don't honestly expect me to believe that?"

"She said I saved her life during the New York Invasion and then before I could walk away, she jumped all over me."

"You can break a door off its hinges, but you can't push a girl off of you? I saw you just standing there, for minutes. You obviously got what you wanted and moved on to the next best thing." Olivia said.

"Got what I wanted? What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Steve. I know you were born decades ago, but you're not a child. You got exactly what you wanted from me; we had sex and then you moved on to another….another target."

"Olivia, are you serious right now? Another target? My targets are bad guys, not women," he said. "I didn't use you for sex! I can't believe you'd say that. Do you even know me?"

"Obviously not," she said, coldly.

"Olivia-"

"I think you should go."

"Olivia, come on," he pleaded.

"Please, just go," she said softly, tears streaming down her face. "I want to be alone."

Steve stood and walked toward the door, looking back at Olivia and hoping she would give him one final glance. He didn't try to hide his disappointment when she didn't.

* * *

The next morning, Steve woke, hoping last night had been a nightmare. He'd barely slept all night, instead constantly waking. He decided some coffee would be a temporary solution to the headache that was currently pounding through his skull. When he arrived downstairs, he found Tony, Clint and Pepper. Clint's scrapes and bruises were still fresh from the previous day. Tony had bags under his eyes. Steve began brewing the coffee.

"Have you guys talked to Olivia this morning?" Steve asked as he sat on the couch with his mug in hand.

A chorus of no's resounded.

"Jarvis, is Olivia in her room?" Tony questioned.

"No sir."

"The lab?" Tony asked, figuring she may have wanted to busy herself with work instead.

"No sir. Dr. McClain is not on the premises," Jarvis spoke.

"Is she out collecting data?" Tony asked.

"No sir."

"What?" Steve asked quickly.

"Dr. McClain packed her bags and left around 1 AM this morning,"

"And you didn't tell anyone, Jarvis?" Steve questioned.

"I am not a babysitter. Dr. McClain is a grown woman, Captain Rogers," Jarvis said.

Steve hurried to the elevator, repeatedly pressing the call button and growing increasingly annoyed when it didn't come fast enough. When the elevator finally arrived and delivered him to Olivia's floor, he ran to her room. Without hesitating, he rammed his shoulder into her door, immediately releasing from its hinges and crashing to the floor. He had hoped he would find her sitting on the couch, annoyed that he had busted in without knocking. But instead, he found only remnants of her ever having been there. In her bedroom, he found her drawers half open, some clothes strewn about in them. Her bed was unmade and some of the green pillows were on the floor. Steve walked to her bed and sat on the edge, looking at the bedside table. He picked up a picture frame and stared at the photo inside. It was one Olivia had taken of the two of them when they went to the drive in. They were cuddled up in the back of Tony's car when she pulled out her phone and took a picture. Steve wasn't prepared so he was making a weird face and Olivia had her tongue sticking out. He sat the picture back down next to the ceramic turtle, and that's when he found the owl necklace he had given her for Christmas. He picked it up and held it in his hands.

* * *

Olivia stood in the center of John F. Kennedy Airport, tears streaming down her face. She took a deep breath in and pulled her ticket from her pocket. With a final glance around her, she grabbed her suitcase and began wheeling it down the corridor. On the monitors that sprawled throughout the airport, Olivia could hear news anchors covering their reports from the previous day's attacks.

"Officials are confirming that yesterday's incident was indeed an extraterrestrial attack by a species called Celestials. Witnesses say that the famous Captain America took a break from fighting to share a fiery kiss with what could be his secret girlfriend," one news anchor said.

She attempted to ignore the sharp pang in her chest as she wiped her tears away and continued to her terminal, the sounds of the commentators being drowned out only by the announcement overhead.

"This is the final boarding call for JetBlue Airlines Fight 1629. Any remaining passengers should prepare to board."

When Olivia got off of her flight an hour and a half later, she hailed a cab and climbed into the back seat. She sat quietly, the only noise being the sound of the wheels on the pavement, crawling over manholes and the occasional bridge.

"You wanna listen to some music or somethin', miss?" The taxi driver asked.

"No, thank you," she responded.

"Yes'm."

As she heard the crunch of the tires against gravel, she broke her stare from her lap and looked out of the window. The landscape was covered in green, flowers blooming along the edge of the one-lane road, and the sun beating down, clouds lightly scattered in the sky. The driver pulled to a stop and took Olivia's bags from the trunk. She paid her fare and added a tip with a small smile. She turned and walked up the stairs to the small house in front of her and gave three small knocks.

The door opened to reveal a man clad in dirty jeans and a t-shirt with a hole along the collar and another at the chest pocket. He had some dirt on his cheek bones and his face was red from the heat.

"Olive?"

"Daddy," she said softly, throwing herself to hug him, tears falling from her eyes.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there is chapter 12. Definitely a lot going on for Steve and Olivia, and their relationship has hit a bit of a bump. Special thanks to **aven91** and **kyuumihaira** for their reviews! See you guys next week. I'll be out of town again for training Tuesday night through Friday night, and I am coordinating a rehearal dinner and wedding on Friday/Saturday, so it may be **Saturday night** before chapter 13 is posted, but that should be the longest you'll have to wait. Thanks everyone! ,3

-LBD


	13. Operation Find Olivia

"Whatcha doin' here, boo boo?" He asked, as he carried her bag into the small house.

"It's a long story, Daddy," she answered, sitting on the dusty couch.

"Well, I got plenty of time," he said, walking into the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"No, thanks. You got any sweet tea?"

"You know it. Made it myself this morning. I'll getcha a glass." After filling his mug with coffee, he made his way back into the living room and handed her a tall glass of tea.

"Thanks," she smiled, talking a long sip.

"So what brings you back home?" He asked. "Haven't seen ya in a while."

"Yea. You remember when I told you that I was doing some work for the government?" He nodded. "Well, I'm still doing some work with that, but, well, a little while back I started seeing this guy."

"Woah, wait a minute, Olive, you never said nothing 'bout no man on the telephone."

"Yea, I know," she said, taking another drink of the tea. "I didn't want to say anything because, well, I wanted to see if it would last, and he's a kinda well-known guy, and, well, Daddy, I'm sorry, I just didn't tell you."

"It's alright, boo boo, I forgive ya," he smiled and patted her knee.

"Anyway, I've been dating this guy for about five or six months. Hell, I'm so frazzled right now, my timeline is all thrown off. So we've been seeing each other. He also, uh, works for the government, so to speak. And he kissed this other girl yesterday."

"Ya know, Olive, I done told ya all yer life, men ain't nothin' but pigs." Olivia couldn't help but laugh.

"I know you did, Daddy."

"So did ya leave him?"

"Well, physically yes. We've both been staying at this assigned housing through our project and I leave real early this morning, without telling anyone. I might get in some trouble, but I couldn't stay there."

"Get in trouble?"

"Technically, with the department I'm working with and the project I'm working on, I'm not supposed to leave the area. I haven't been at my apartment or my museum job since November."

"The damn feds," he said, gritting his teeth. "Always tellin' ya how ya gotta live yer own damn life."

"I know, Daddy. It's been going pretty well up until this point."

"So whatcha gonna do now?"

"I'm not sure. I just needed to get away. Like I said, he's a well known guy within our department and it was on the news, maybe you saw it-"

"Nah, you know I don't watch that shit. Always harpin' on the negatives."

"Yea, so a lot of people saw it. And he tried to tell me he didn't know the girl and it just happened all of a sudden. And I don't know what to believe."

"Well Olive, you deserve better than that. Ain't no man gonna treat my baby girl like that."

"I know. I'm not sure where we'll go from here, but I just needed to get out and clear my head."

"Well, ya know yer always welcome here. It's yer home too. Stay as long as you like."

"Thanks Daddy."

* * *

Steve returned downstairs, hold the owl necklace delicately in his hands.

"She's definitely gone," he said quietly.

"Well, Steve, think of what you know about Olivia. Where would she have gone?" Pepper asked.

"Her apartment, maybe. I know she loved living in DC."

"Jarvis, can you tap into the security cameras at Olivia's old apartment? I think the complex name is in her file," Tony said.

"A search of security footage over the previous week shows no indication of Olivia visiting," Jarvis said.

"Oh, what about her friend?" Pepper asked. "The one who visited at Christmas."

"Great idea, Pepper," Steve said, as he made his way back to the elevator. In the lab, he found Bruce huddled over papers on the desk. "Banner, you have Belle's number, right?"

"Yea, why?"

"Olivia left this morning and no one knows where she went."

"Well maybe she doesn't want to be found," Bruce said, speaking from experience. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Can I have Belle's number or not?" He asked, and Bruce tossed him his cell phone. Steve copied it into his own phone and left the lab.

The phone rang exactly three times before anyone answered.

"Hello?"

"Belle? It's Steve?"

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked, sarcastically. "Aren't you busy making out with random blondes?"

"Look, that's not how it happened. You know how the news construes everything."

"Yea, yea, what do you want?"

"Have you heard from Olivia?"

"No, why?"

"She left and she didn't tell anyone where she was going."

"What makes you think she told me?"

"You're best friends. Don't you tell each other everything?"

"Well, yea, eventually," she said. "Olivia is very independent. She likes to figure shit out on her own first."

"If she calls you, will you tell me?" He asked, but Belle was silent. "Belle?"

"Maybe, Steve," she said finally, sighing. "She deserves better than this."

"I know," Steve said softly. "I didn't mean for all of this to happen."

"No one ever does," Belle said. "But you better think about what you'll say to her when you find her, because 'I didn't mean to' won't cut it for her."

"I know," he said. "If you talk to her, tell her I'm sorry."

"Okay," she said and then the line went dead. Steve closed his phone and went back upstairs.

"Belle hasn't heard from her," he updated everyone.

"That doesn't mean she isn't going to Cali," Clint offered. "She could easily have gotten on a plane without telling Belle she was coming."

* * *

Olivia woke before the sun to the sound of a rooster's caw. She rubbed her tired eyes and stretched. She slept like shit. Her dreams were filled with Steve and his memories. She thought about their last night together, how it felt to share herself with him. How, even though he was strong and incredibly muscular, he handled her delicately and gently. She shook her head, the memories dissipating like thing clouds, as she kicked the covers off of her and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

She walked down the narrow hallway and into the kitchen. She fumbled with the light switch before she made her way to the fridge and poured herself a glass of orange juice. The wood floors were cool on her bare feet as she padded toward the front porch. She sat on the rickety rocking chair and sipped her juice. Over the horizon, she could see the sun threatening to rise.

When she finished her juice, the sky was brightening. She walked down the steps of the porch and around the corner where she found her dad's unkept wood pile. She raised an eyebrow, questioning her ability to lift an axe, but decided to give it a go. She heaved the axe upward, tightly gripping the handle with both hands, and brought it down with the force of gravity. She missed the log and tried again. This time, she managed to chip off a little piece.

Thirty minutes later, she heard a howling laugh from behind her.

"What in tarnation are you doin'?" Her daddy asked.

She laughed at herself and placed the axe back on the ground.

"Just blowing off steam," she said. "But I'm not very good."

"I appreciate the help, but I won't need the wood for a while. Winter's just barely passed."

"Was it a cold one this year?" She asked, walking back up the porch with him.

"Not really. Snowed only twice."

"It snowed a lot in New York," she said. "But I stayed inside a lot. I've been doing some research on rats, though."

"Well that's nice, if you like rats," he laughed.

"Yea, I like them," she smiled.

"So whatcha got planned for the day?"

"Nothing."

"Wanna go to the market?"

"Sure," she smiled.

Fifteen minutes later, she had changed into a pair of jeans and a tshirt and met her dad downstairs. They hopped into his truck and drove through town to the farmer's market.

"Good morning," a farmer smiled as he stood behind the table at his booth.

"Morning," she greeted him.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Could I get a bag of those Asian pears and a small carton of strawberries?"

She paid him for the produce and stashed it away in her bag just as her phone rang.

"Hi Belle," she answered.

"Hi."

"What's up?"

"You tell me."

"Uh, okay, what do you want to know?"

"What's up with you and Steve? I saw the newscast of him with that girl. Are you done for now?"

"I don't know. I didn't stick around to talk to him."

"So I heard," she said. "Steve called yesterday to see if I had talked to you."

"Oh?"

"I told him I hadn't heard from you," Belle said. Olivia nodded, even though Belle couldn't see it. "He wanted me to tell you he's sorry."

"Yea, I'm sure he is."

"So where are you, then?"

"I'm back home," she said.

"At your apartment?"

"No, not in DC," she said. "I'm home home, with my dad. I'm in North Carolina."

* * *

"You think we can take the jet out on an unauthorized mission?" Steve asked Tony.

"You mean Operation Find Olivia, otherwise known as OFO?"

"I didn't approve of an official title for the plan, but yea, that's what I was referring to."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time I used SHIELD's stuff without asking," Tony shrugged. "And it damn sure won't be my last."

"Great. Then we're taking a field trip."

It was only a little over an hour and a half when they landed in California, taking advantage of jet speed and available landing at LAX.

"You've got Belle's employment info, right?"

"Of course. Jarvis confirmed the name and address of her company and made sure her calendar was free of appointments," Tony said.

"Okay, so what's the name of her company?" Clint asked.

"Unbelieva-Belle Tiny Homes, 116 Chauncey Street, Los Angeles."

"Nice little play on words, if I do say so myself," Clint admired.

Steve stormed into the lobby of the office building and continued past the receptionist.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have an appointment?"

"Don't need one," he said.

"I'm afraid you do, sir. Everyone must have an appointment with Ms. Rivers."

"Check her calendar," Tony said, his elbow propped on the girl's desk. "Should be under the name America."

"Uh, Mr. America?" She asked, skeptically.

"It's Captain," Steve corrected. She only realized what he meant as he barged through the double doors to Belle's office.

"Christ, Steve, you scared the hell out of me," she said when she had caught her breath. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to find Olivia."

"We?"

"Stark and Barton are in the lobby," he said. "We came to find Olivia."

"That's great, but I seem to recall telling you on the phone earlier that she wasn't here," Belle said sassily.

"Well, we were hoping maybe she just hadn't gotten here yet."

"No, she's not here and she's not coming here," she said.

"You know where she is?" Steve's tone was certainly more accusatory than questioning.

"Maybe I do," Belle shrugged.

"Have you talked to her?"

"Yes, Steve," she sighed, closing her laptop and giving him an annoyed look. He was obviously interrupting her work. "I told her you were sorry."

"Where is she?"

"She's with her dad," she said. "But I'm not telling you anything else. If she wanted to talk to you, she would call. Or she would have let you know where she went."

Steve didn't say anything. He simply rubbed his temples and then laced his hands together.

"Now, if you don't mind, I've got a busy day and loads of stuff I need to finish before my meetings."

Steve got the hint and made his way to the door, stopping only after he was already halfway over the threshold.

"Don't worry about your meetings, by the way. We had Jarvis clear your calendar," he said as he walked out and closed the door.

"Ugggggh!" She exclaimed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that I'm late updating. Friday I was volunteering at my local state park and yesterday I was decorating and catering a wedding. Here's chapter 13. Thank you to all of you who have favorited or followed since the last chapter. Feedback is greatly appreciated! I am working next weekend as well, so prepare for chapter 14 on Sunday and take it as a surprise if it's earlier!

-LBD


	14. Oldfield

"What did she tell you?" Clint asked as he and Tony followed behind Steve, heading back to the jet.

"That she was with her dad," Steve responded.

"And where's that?"

"I don't know," Steve said, his frustration apparent. "That's all she'd tell me."

"What do you know about Olivia's dad?" Tony asked.

"I know he's the one who taught her how to throw knives for fun," he said. "So I certainly don't want to go waltzing in unannounced."

"He was in the military, right?" Tony asked.

"Yea, I think so."

"Okay, we'll have Jarvis run a background check when we get back to the tower."

* * *

Olivia sat on the front porch, her laptop sitting on her knees, typing away fiercely. She heard the screen door open and close, but didn't break her concentration.

"Whatcha typin'?" There was no answer. "Olive?"

"Huh?" She asked, looking up from the screen.

"I said, whatcha typin'?"

"Oh, I'm just working on that project I told you about. The one with the rats. I'm analyzing the data and trying to write the results. I'm hoping to publish it."

"You're so sharp," her dad smiled, sitting next to her. "You musta got that from yer mama."

"Oh, Daddy. You're plenty sharp," Olivia said, closing her laptop.

"Well, not that kinda sharp," he laughed. "But that's alright."

"What are you doing today?" She asked.

"I'm going over to Joe McGuire's house to help him fix his roof," he answered. "We had a bad storm last week and a tree fell on it. He's lucky none of them kids got hurt. You know he's got like five of 'em."

"That's awfully nice of you, Daddy."

"Yea, I try and help some when I can. I'm old now and my back hurts most of the time, but I make do," he said. "What are you doing today?"

"I don't know. I think I'm going to go into town. Maybe visit the library."

"That was one of your favorite places growing up."

"Yea," she smiled. "It was."

"Well, do you want to take the truck or you want me to drop you off?"

"You can drop me off. I'll grab my stuff and be ready soon if you want to head out."

* * *

"Jarvis, can you run a background check on Olivia's father?"

"Yes, sir. His name is on file."

Tony, Steve and Clint sat in the sitting room. Pepper was gone for the day but had ordered them pizza, which was ready for them when they returned. Clint and Tony dug in, but Steve didn't have much of an appetite.

"His name is Clifton McClain," Jarvis spoke. "He was born in 1950 in North Carolina. He began his military career with a tour during the Vietnam war in 1970 when he was twenty years old. He also did a tour in Iraq during the Persian Gulf War. He was known for his hand-to-hand combat skills and his ability to throw knives."

Steve and Tony exchanged looks, recalling the time Olivia threw a knife at Tony's head.

"Current place of residence?" Tony asked.

"Oldfield, North Carolina. It would take 30 minutes to arrive there via the jet plus 30 minutes of drive time." Jarvis said.

"Address?"

"No, sir. There is no address on file. Only the city name."

"Well, looks like we'll have to wing it," Tony shrugged, jumping back to his feet and heading toward the helipad, a slice of pizza in his hand.

* * *

"Alright," Cliff leaned out the truck window as Olivia stood on the sidewalk. "I'm hoping I'll be done in a couple hours. I'll pick ya up after."

"Okay, Daddy," she said.

Inside the library, Olivia found a small table and pulled out her laptop and field notes. She put in her headphones and played soft music in the background. Pop music, nonetheless, because, even though it had words and could sometimes distract her, it usually pumped her up. She needed that energy to push Steve out of her thoughts and focus on her research. She worked on her article for a about an hour before someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up expectantly as sh took her headphones out of her ears.

"Mind if I sit here?" A man her age asked her.

"Sure," she said, making to put her headphones in again. Before she could, he was asking another question.

"You look familiar. Do I know you?"

 _How the hell would I know?_ She asked herself.

"I don't know," she said.

"Are you from around here?"

"Originally, but I'm just visiting for now."

"Did you go to Ridgecrest High School?"

"Yes."

"Me too! My name is Brody Robinson." When he said that, Olivia had to look away for a moment. She remembered him from school. Brody was the quarterback for their football team. Olivia had a huge crush on him when they were in school, and he knew it. Olivia was very much the nerdy girl in high school. She spent her summers doing internships and in between classes, her nose was always stuck in a book. She was the first to raise her hand and always did the extra credit. "What's your name?"

"Olivia McClain," she said softly.

"Whaaaaat? Weren't you my lab partner in chemistry sophomore year?"

"Yes."

* * *

The guys took a cab from the nearest airport, which was 30 minutes away, into Oldfield.

"Excuse me, what is this?" Tony asked the cab driver, pointing to all the shanty buildings that they passed by.

"That there is downtown," he said.

"Downtown?" Tony asked, incredulously.

"She said she grew up in a small town," Steve said.

"Who's 'at ya talking' about?" The driver asked.

"Olivia McClain."

"Oh yehh, Cliff's daughter. I 'member her. 'Aven't seen 'er in years," he said. "Everybody in Oldfield knows everybody else."

"Do you know where her father lives?" Tony asked.

"Sure do. He's a good man. You needa see him?"

"Yes, please. Can you take us there?" Steve asked and the driver nodded.

"Well that worked out conveniently," Clint said.

"Hey, I had a plan." Tony scoffed.

"Oh yea, what was that?"

"Figure it out as we go."

"Good plan." Clint said sarcastically.

A few minutes later, the taxi was pulling down a long dirt road. At the end of the road sat a small house. Steve cleared his throat as he walked up the stairs and onto the front porch. He gave a hard knock and waited for a response. The door to the house opened and a man appeared in the doorway, standing behind the screen door.

"Can I help ya?" Cliff asked.

"Mr. McClain?"

"Who wants ta know?"

"My name is Steve Rogers."

"Ain't you that super soldier from World War Two?" He asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Came outta the ice or somefin'?"

"Yes, sir. That's me."

"Well I ain't coming back to the army," Cliff asserted. "I did my time. I'm done."

"Uh, no, sir. That's not what I'm here for," Steve said. "I'm looking for your daughter, Olivia."

Cliff's facial expression changed from that of confusion to that of realization.

"Tell me you ain't him."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're the reason she came home? You're the little shit that stepped out on her?"

"Sir, it's very complicated -"

"I know my own damn daughter. She ain't that complicated. She's a crier, wears her heart on her sleeve, always believes in the good of people. And I know that she came home upset 'cause her boyfriend kissed some other girl."

"I would never intentionally hurt your daughter, sir. I care about her, a lot. I'd love to talk to her."

"Well that's just too damn bad. She ain't here, son. She's in town at the library. If you wanna chase her, that's your own doing." Steve stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what he would say to Olivia when he saw her. Up until that particular moment in time, he hadn't even considered it. He had just hoped to find her. He turned and faced Clint and Tony, who had wisely decided to hang back and watch from the cab.

"Let's go. We're going back into town," Steve said, jogging down the stairs and back to the taxi. He turned and called back to Cliff. "Thank you, sir."

As the cab drove off, Cliff mumbled under his breath.

"Men."

* * *

"What's your name?"

"Olivia McClain," she said softly.

"Whaaaaat? Weren't you my lab partner in chemistry sophomore year?"

"Yes."

"Wow, crazy. Do you live here still?"

"No," she said, even though she had already told him that. "I live in New York. I mean, I live in DC. I'm visiting my dad."

"Oh okay. What are you up to now?"

"I work as a conservation biologist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History."

"Oh wow. Hot shot," he said, sounding impressed.

"And you?"

"I'm a bartender at the Ale House in Crofton."

"Oh okay."

"Olivia," Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, and she was forcefully ripped around, coming face to face with Steve.

"Hey, buddy, can't you see she's busy. We're talkin' here!" Brody called, to which the lbrarian shushed him.

"Steve, what in the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Who is this guy?" Steve asked angrily.

"SHHHH." The librarian aggressively instructed.

"Sounds like she didn't want you to find her, bud. So you can just head on out of here," Brody said, standing to buck up to Steve.

Steve stifled a laugh as he eyed Brody. He was barely 6 feet tall and his lanky body paled in comparison to his muscular one.

"Okay, that's enough," Olivia violently whispered. "Steve, let's go." She closed her laptop, slid it and her papers into a pile inside her bag, and ushered him outside quickly.

"Hey, Olivia, maybe we can get some dinner sometime?" Brody called after her.

"Not a chance, pal. She's taken," Steve said, his arm wrapped around Olivia's waist as she high-tailed it out of the library.

"What the hell, Steve?" She asked once they were outside. "Was that necessary?"

"Which part?"

"Making a scene like that?"

"Well, he was being a little…..twerp."

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here? I came to find you. I came here to talk."

"Hi, Olivia!"

She jerked her head around and spotted Tony in a taxi, waving frantically and excitedly from the backseat. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, if you wanna talk, let's go talk somewhere private."

The ride back in the cab was awkwardly silent. Olivia sat in the passenger seat, forcing Tony, Steve and Clint to cram into the backseat.

"Everything alright?" Cliff asked when Olivia came bounding up the front porch steps.

"Yes, Daddy. Steve and I are going to go talk in my room. These are my friends and coworkers, Clint and Tony." That's the only introduction she gave before she walked down the hallway and into the back bedroom.

The room was dimly lit and had dark curtains. In the corner of the bed was a small twin-sized bed with a plaid throw blanket on it and mismatched pillows. Olivia sat on the bed, crossing her legs, and motioned for Steve to join her.

"Why did you leave?" He asked.

"Because I couldn't be there. I was hurt. And I've been locked up in the tower for months. I needed to get away from everything."

"Olivia, I'm sorry for what happened, but I want you to know that I didn't intentionally kiss that girl."

She didn't say anything, sitting quietly and looking straight at him.

"If I could have any woman to kiss in the world, I would still choose you every single time," he said softly. "And I can imagine it was embarrassing and angering to see it on TV and to hear all that stuff being said."

"Yea, it was."

"But what matters is that you and I know the whole story," he said. "And I'll tell the world, happily. I'll hold a press conference. I'll tell everyone that you're my girl, not that other broad. And I'll tell them the most important thing of all."

She tilted her head, curiously.

"I'll tell them all that I love you."

* * *

 **A/N:** I suck. Sorry for the longer than usual wait. Anticipate chapter 15 next weekend, not necessarily on Friday. Sorry! Thank you to those of you who have been following and favoriting. I also appreciate all of y'all that have favorited me as an author. I hope you'll enjoy the other stories I've got planned! So here's chapter 14. A lot of dialogue, so hopefully it doesn't feel too bogged down. Let me know what you thought! Also, I don't foresee this story going beyond 20 or so chapters, so keep that in mind. I could be wrong, but we'll see. Thank you so much! If you feel so inclined, I would love to hear your feedback! 3


	15. Mutual Feelings

"Steve,"

"I mean it, Olivia. I've been in love once before. And I took too long to tell her how I felt and how much I cared about her. And then it was too late. When you left the tower, it only further solidified how I feel about you. I love you. And I love everything about you. I love that freckle on your upper lip, I love your southern accent and the way you draw out any word with I in it, I love your intelligence. I love how stubborn you are," he said, reaching for her hands and taking them in his. "I mean it."

"I love you, too," she finally said, softly. "And that scares me, a lot."

He looked at her questioningly, so she continued.

"I've never been in love. For the majority of my life, I only had myself to look out for. I mean, there was my dad, but I focused on school, on my career, and none of that complimented a very productive social life so I just never had one. I don't know how to balance a social life and a professional life. And it's scary for me to love someone when I haven't before, not in this capacity. And it's especially scary to me because of who you are. You're Captain America. You're an Avenger. Your life is so incredibly public and people are always poking their noses into it. And your job is so dangerous. You may leave one day and never come home. And that is a very real, and all-too-serious fear for me. You know, I grew up with my dad being in the military and I was terrified when he was deployed to Iraq. It took hours to fall asleep imagining what he might be doing and whether he was still alive. I don't want to have to do that again. I don't know if I can."

"I volunteered to be here. I wanted to use the serum. I wanted to protect my country and fight for its people. And that hasn't changed. And every time I have to fight, I will remember that I am fighting for you. I can't stop being Captain America. And I don't want you to stop being Dr. Olivia McClain, badass wildlife biologist. It might not be easy, but I think that we can make it work, and that it'll be worth it."

Olivia took in a deep breath and nodded, leaning in toward him and kissing him.

"And here's her on her thirteenth birthday. Look at them braces. Oh, she was a mess," Cliff said as he passed the photo album to Tony and Clint. "I didn't have to worry about the boys chasing her. Hell, with that metal mouth, they were all runnin' away!" He howled with laughter and Tony and Clint joined in.

"Daddy, please tell me you're not showing them my childhood pictures!?" She exclaimed as she filed into the small living room, Steve in tow behind her.

"Oh, you bet yer bottom dollar, I am. They got a good kick outta the one when you was stark neked running through the yard."

"I hate that I missed those," Steve smiled and winked at her.

"Okay, I think that's enough," she let out a nervous laugh as she quickly scooped up the album and held it to her chest.

"You're a party pooper, I tell ya," Cliff laughed.

"Yea, yea, I know," she said. She turned to Steve and spoke quietly. "I will join you back at the tower tomorrow? I'm going to stay another night with my dad. Can you have Tony send a plane?"

"I'm sure we can arrange something."

"Alright now kids," Cliff said, standing from the couch and approaching Olivia and Steve. "You get everything figured out?" He clapped a hand on Steve's shoulder and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Yes, sir," Steve said, offering his hand for shaking. "You've got a wonderful daughter, sir, and I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her."

"That's what I like to hear!" He said. "Now are y'all staying for dinner or what?"

The small kitchen table was a bit crowded with five people, but they made it work. Every so often someone bumped elbows with their neighbor, but it didn't seem to be too much to handle. Everyone filled their plates in a buffet line at the counter, piling on fried chicken, gravy, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and brownies.

"Mr. McClain, I have to say, this is quite an impressive meal. I have attended many catered events and I don't think any of them compared to this," Tony said, stuffing his face with mashed potatoes. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Cliff," he corrected. "And I thank ya kindly, Tony. Olivia's mother was a terrible cook. The woman could barely boil water. I taught Olivia when she was pretty young so she could take care of herself when I was deployed. Hell, if I hadn't of, she probably woulda starved to death." Everyone laughed together.

"She's a good cook," Steve confirmed, recalling the couple of times Olivia had cooked for him and the apple crostata they had baked together.

"Oh yea, that was a mean grilled cheese I made for us when we first met," Olivia laughed, her words light with sarcasm.

* * *

Cliff and Olivia cleared the table and started on the dishes after their guests have left.

"So you wanna talk about it?" Cliff asked Olivia.

"It's complicated," she shrugged. "You know how it goes."

"Naw, darling, I don't think I do. I ain't never dated a super soldier."

"How do you know Steve is a super soldier?"

"I was in the army, boo boo. Everyone in my command knew about Captain America when I was in Vietnam," he replied. "The guy was a legend during World War II."

"Yea, he's part of the Avengers Initiative. You know Iron Man?"

"Yea, that was him in the living room tonight." He said and she nodded.

"You didn't act like you knew who they were," she said.

"I didn't want to embarrass you, honey." Olivia smiled and gave her dad a hug. "But say, who was the other little guy?"

"Hawkeye. He's a very good archer."

"Oh, okay," he said. "Never heard of him before. So you and the Captain?"

"Yea, we've been, I guess you'd say dating, since December or so."

"What kind of work are you doing with them? What do they need a biologist for?"

"Hell if I know, Daddy. They wanted me to help prevent bird collision damage to Iron Man's suit, but they have access to the world's best engineers, not to mention the fact that Tony is a genius. So I don't really know, but I went along with it." He nodded. "Listen, you can't tell anyone about the work I'm doing. Or was doing. Whatever. It has to stay confidential."

"Don't worry, baby girl, your secret is always safe with me," he said. "Anyway, what's the deal with you two?"

"He wants me to come back to the tower where we all live and work. He told me he loves me."

Cliff sat down the plates he was holding and looked squarely at Olivia.

"Well do you love him?"

"I do, Daddy. I really do."

"Then go back. Be with him. And let him be with you."

"I think I will."

* * *

"I love you, Olive," Cliff said as he hugged Olivia on the front porch the next morning. "Be careful. And ya know if you ever need anything, I'm right here where I've always been."

"I love you too, Daddy. Thanks for letting me stay for a little while."

"You're always welcome at home."

He helped her carry her suitcase down the stairs and into the trunk of the cab.

"Arnold, she's heading to the airport," Cliff told the driver. "And ya better be careful. You're carrying precious cargo." He gave her a kick kiss on the forehead and opened the door to the backseat for her. She slid in and buckled up, waving goodbye as the he disappeared from view.

Tony sent a private plane for Olivia and it took her straight to the tower. When she descended the stairs onto the helipad, Pepper was waiting for her.

"Welcome back!" She smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I've missed you. There's not enough estrogen in this place." Olivia laughed.

"I've missed you too, Pepper."

"Is everything alright? We were all worried when you left."

"It's alright now. And I've got lots to tell you, but first, I think a phone call is necessary. I'll see you in the living area in an hour?" Pepper nodded and Olivia caught the elevator to her suite.

The phone rang exactly three times before someone answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey B,"

"Olive. What's up? Still with your old man?"

"I'm back at the tower actually."

"Oh okay. Listen, I didn't tell Steve where you were. I only told him you were with your dad and I forgot the fact that Tony has access to all kinds of information via Jarvis, so he must have figured it out."

"Oh, don't worry," Olivia said. "Everything's fine now."

"It is?"

"Yes. We talked and well, Steve told me that he loves me."

"Wow! That's a big deal."

"Yea, it is."

"What did you say to him when he told you that?"

"I told him that I felt the same way, but that I was scared. I've never had a serious relationship, let alone one with a superhero. You remember what happened when you and I went out in December and were almost kidnapped. Is that the type of life I'm supposed to expect? Am I going to be living in New York forever?"

"Maybe you should ask him those questions."

"Maybe I will," she sighed. "I've got some stuff to catch up on. I'll talk to you later."

"Sounds good. Be safe. Love you."

"Back at you."

Olivia descended the tower and found Pepper in the living area. She plopped down on the couch next to her and filled her in on everything that had happened over the last few days.

"You should have seen Steve when he saw me talking to Brody. He got so jealous. He doesn't seem like the type but he was on edge," Olivia said.

"Well, Steve is patient and kind, but he cares about you and he would definitely do whatever it took to protect you," Pepper said. "So what next?"

"I don't know. I want to go back to DC soon. I miss it."

"I understand. Relationships require compromise. I'm sure you can figure something out. I'm curious about one thing, though."

"What's that?" Olivia asked.

"Do you want to marry him?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Alright, I know I am very late. Prepare yourself because here's my excuse: I am presenting at a conference next week and the research I am presenting was completed by a labmate of mine, so I have to understand everything and prepare to present it to professionals and make sure I don't make a fool of myself. So I've been busy with that. I've also been trying to finish my Loki cosplay in time for the comicon I'm attending in a few weeks. So I've just not done a good job of making time for writing. Please forgive. **That being said, I probably won't be able to post Chapter 16 for at least a week and a half to two weeks.** I'll do my best. I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. Thank you to **aven91, kyuumihaira, darkpoisonivy** and the **guest who reviewed.** I really appreciate it! 3

-LBD


	16. Dress for the Occasion

"I...I think so," Olivia admitted. "I mean, if he asked, I would say yes. For sure. But it's kinda scary to think about. Not only because that's a really big deal, but also because I don't know if this is the right...lifestyle for me."

"You get used to it," Pepper shrugged. "If it's what you really want."

Olivia gave a faint smiled and nodded.

* * *

"How's your research going?" Steve asked as he and Olivia sat on the couch in her suite. It had been a month since she and Steve had made up after their little tiff. She and Steve had become more public with their relationship as a result. They would hold hands if they went out and Steve stopped wearing a ball cap to hide his face in public.

"It's good. I actually submitted it for review to be published in the Ecology journal through the Ecological Society of America a few weeks ago. They sent it back for approval with revisions," she said, smiling.

"Oh, that's great!" He said, giving her an excited kiss. "Quite an accomplishment, Olivia."

"Thanks," she said. "I also got a pretty exciting email this week."

"What's that?"

"I've been nominated for the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for the Natural Sciences."

"What!?" He exclaimed. "That's fantastic! Congratulations! We have to celebrate."

"Oh no, there's no need to make a big deal about it," Olivia said.

"Jarvis, let Tony know about Olivia's accomplishment. He'll be about to put something together quickly," Steve said. "We should get you a dress."

"I have dresses."

"This calls for a new one."

That evening, Steve and Olivia made their way into the city to find Olivia the perfect dress for the award ceremony, which was a month away. They made their way into Faviana and were immediately greeted by a sales associate.

"Good evening. Welcome to Faviana. What can we help you find today?"

"My girl needs a gown. She's been nominated by the Smithsonian for a prestigious award," Steve bragged, his arm around her waist. Olivia blushed.

"Congratulations, I'm sure we can find something that will make you the star of the night."

"Thanks," Olivia smiled.

"Will your husband need a matching suit?" The associate asked.

"Oh, uh, we're not," Olivia cleared her throat. "We're not married. Just dating."

"My apologies, ma'am," the girl offered before she turned to face Steve. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

"I don't think so," he said quickly.

"What's your name?"

"Steve," he answered, and she raised her eyebrows, suggesting that that wouldn't be enough of an answer. "Rogers."

"Steve Rogers," she said to herself, tapping her finger against her chin as she thought. "WAIT." She said loudly, before bringing her voice to a low whisper. "Are you Captain America?"

"Yea," He said, sighing in defeat.

"Oh my gosh, I've gotta tell the girls," she squealed and ran off.

"Maybe we should just go," Olivia sighed. "I don't know if it's worth all of this. We can always buy a dress online."

He turned to face her and took his hands in hers.

"Today is about you and acknowledging your accomplishment. We're getting you a dress," he said, just as the sales associate was returning with two of her coworkers.

"Wow, it really is him!" One shrieked. "Can we get an autograph?"

"Sure, but today is all about my girl. I want you to take care of her. We need two stunning gowns." He signed the autographs they asked for and the other two girls returned to their work.

"Two?" Olivia asked.

"One for the party, and one for the award ceremony."

"Oh, right."

"What type of dress were you looking for?" The associate asked.

"I like more fitted gowns, like mermaid style," Olivia said.

"She looks great in blue," Steve smiled and Olivia blushed.

"Perfect, let's see what we can find." The associate dragged Olivia around the store, piling her arms full of dresses and finally settling into a fitting room. Olivia slid into the first dress and then pushed the curtain back, stepping out to show Steve.

"Wow," was all he said. The dress featured a light blue skirt and an ivory bodice with lace detailing. It was fitted down to her thighs, where it relaxed and flowed out. "You look beautiful. What do you think?"

"It's nice," she said.

"You don't like it?" He asked, taking note of her tone.

"I'm not sure it's the one I want," she laughed.

"Okay," he smiled. "Try another."

An hour and a half later, they were ready to purchase two gowns. For the award ceremony, they settled on a navy floor-length mermaid gown that was covered in sequins and featured off-the-shoulder straps. For the celebratory party, Olivia chose a simple cream-colored A-line dress with a ruffled bodice. Steve handed over a card before Olivia could even try to reach in her bag. They finished the transaction and left the store, only to be mobbed by cameras and people.

"Someone in the store must have alerted the media," Steve sighed, offering Olivia his arm. "Hold tight."

"Captain America, this isn't the same woman the world saw you with last month. Do you care to explain what is going on?" One reporter asked.

"Is this your girlfriend? Who is she?" Another question.

Steve cleared his throat, holding onto Olivia with one arm and the shopping bags on the other.

"This is my girlfriend and we would appreciate that you respect our privacy," he said, walking through the crowd.

* * *

The next night, people arrived in the tower by the car load, dressed to the nines in their best formalwear. Olivia only knew a handful of the attendants. She was social enough to where it didn't bother her too much, but she would have preferred an intimate get-together with her friends over an elaborate celebration. In her suite, Pepper assisted Olivia with getting into her dress. She brushed her hair from her face as she clipped on the owl necklace that Steve gave her for Christmas.

"Ready?" Pepper asked with a smile.

"I have a feeling I'm going to be very tired tonight," Olivia said. "But I'm ready."

Steve met Olivia outside her door and his face lit up when he saw her.

"I swear, you get more and more beautiful every time I see you," he beamed.

Olivia thanked him as he kissed her cheek. She took his arm when he offered it and they made their way downstairs.

"There she is! The woman of the hour!" Tony exclaimed when Olivia and Steve arrived. "I think a toast is in order!" He clinked his glass until the murmurs in the room died down. "I'd like to propose a toast. Olivia, you became a part of the family pretty quickly when you got here, uh what's it been, nine months ago. We were happy to have you and somehow you haven't grown tired of us yet. Here is to celebrating your intelligence, your success as a scientist, and, of course, your award nomination. To Dr. McClain!"

The room echoed with "here here"s as everyone toasted and drank their beverages. Steve offered Olivia a drink.

"Sprite with vodka," he smiled.

"You know me well."

"So Olivia," Clint said as he walked up. "Is it too late to ask to be your plus one to the awards banquet?"

"Hey hey, get outta here," Steve joked, nudging him playfully in the ribs with his elbow.

"Alright, alright. You can't blame a guy for trying, am I right?" He laughed. "When is the ceremony?"

"It's September first," Olivia said. "So we've got another month to prepare. It's being held in DC. I've still got to get in touch with my dad and see if he is able to attend."

"Right, that's pretty important," Clint confirmed. "I wouldn't want Cliff to miss out on such a big day in his daughter's life. Did you already buy a dress?"

"We went yesterday," Steve said and smiled. "Just the two of us."

The music that filled the room transitioned to a soft, slow song and Steve excused himself with Olivia.

"I'd like to dance with my girl," he said to Clint, who nodded in response.

He held her hand in his, his right hand perched on her hip. Thy stepped together, right foot, left foot, repeat.

"You know, you've gotten much better than this since the last time we danced at a party."

"Yea, well I had a reason to practice."

She smiled and stepped into him, laying her head against his chest. As they slowly spun around the room, it felt like the rest of the world had faded away and it was only them. They were the only people who mattered. Olivia had never imagined feeling anything close to a perfect moment, but she was sure this was it.

* * *

The next day, Olivia rose during the late morning and slumbered downstairs where she found Clint, Pepper, Tony, and Steve.

"Long night?" Tony winked.

"Yea, that party was exhausting," She half chuckled. "I am such a social butterfly but that was surprisingly draining."

"Ehhh, you get used to it," he shrugged.

"Oh look, that's Steve's picture on the news," Pepper pointed out, grabbing the remote and turning off the mute.

"With us today we have Christine Everhart, reporter with Vanity Fair Magazine, who attended the party at Stark Tower last night. Christine, thanks for joining us."

"My pleasure."

"Christine, I hear you have some very big news regarding our beloved Captain America."

"That's right, Angela. The day before yesterday, he was spotted shopping at Faviana with an unknown woman, whom we later determined was Dr. Olivia McClain. Hailing from a small town in North Carolina, Dr. McClain is a wildlife biologist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. As he was leaving the store, he confirmed to reporters that he and Olivia were, in fact, a couple."

"That sound you hear is the hearts of teenage girls breaking all across the world," Angela joked.

"It gets better," Christine smirked. "Despite the fact that Olivia was bereft an engagement ring, the two were overheard at last night's party discussing their upcoming wedding."

"What!?" Olivia exclaimed as she and Steve exchanged looks.

"What is she talking about?" Pepper asked.

"I have no idea," Olivia answered, listening to the rest of the report.

"They said that it was scheduled for September first, which gave them enough time to prepare and make sure Olivia's father could attend. They confirmed that they had already purchased the dress the day before, which would explain why they were at Faviana's."

"Wow," Angela admitted. "Well, you heard it here first, folks, Captain America is officially off of the market. We'll be right back after this."

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, guys. First let me start off by saying that I am so sorry it took me this long to post. I had some serious car troubles right before I had to leave town for a four day conference. I'm still trying to fix my car stuff and preparing to attend my local Comicon this weekend. I AM SO SORRY. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed. I usually try to message and personally thank everyone, but I am very far behind. So here's my personal thank you for now! THANK YOU! Your support means the world! 3

-LBD


	17. Southern Bride

Olivia's phone rang immediately and she frantically picked it up.

"Hello?"

"What the hell is this I hear about you and Steve getting married? It's not like you to keep secrets."

"Belle, would you just calm down? We aren't getting married."

"I just saw the report on the news."

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"We are not getting married. Someone overheard us talking last night at a party and assumed it was about a wedding."

"What could you have been talking about that someone would have mixed up so badly?"

"The Smithsonian awards. I was nominated for one and the ceremony is September first. Steve and I bought a dress for it and I have to make sure my dad can go because it's in DC."

The line was silent for a moment.

"Oh. Well congratulations!"

"Thanks. But really, I'm not getting married. That's just the media blowing stuff out of their asses."

"Yea, they do that sometimes, don't they?"

On the other end of the phone, Olivia heard the low rumbling of a man's voice calling Belle.

"Who was that?" Olivia questioned.

"Oh, uh," Belle didn't answer until Olivia asked again. "It's Bruce."

"Bruce?!"

"He came to visit, is all," Belle said innocently.

"Oh yea, okay. Just be careful and call me later," Olivia laughed as she hung up the phone.

"Did you say she was with Bruce?" Steve asked and Olivia nodded.

"Seriously, how did we not notice the jolly green giant was missing?" Tony asked.

"It's not like he lives here," Olivia shrugged. "I guess it's harder to keep tabs on him that way, which is probably what he wants."

"What if we need to go to war again? What if the Terrestrials return?" Tony asked, though the tone in his voice sounded more annoyed than anything.

"Would ya simmer down, Tony?" Olivia asked. "I'm sure if we got in any kind of trouble, Cap could save us." Olivia gave a small smirk as she nudged Steve in his stomach.

"Right, Captain America saves the day. Oh, and if I'm not mistaken, apparently you're slated to become _Mrs._ America?"

"Oh, ha ha ha, Tony," she stuck out her tongue. "Except that would be _Dr. America_ to you."

"You know," he said, preparing to offer advice that no one asked for. "If the media wants a wedding, I say let's give them a wedding."

"It doesn't work like that, Stark," Steve almost growled, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changing.

"It could. We all know you're mad about Olivia. Why not go ahead and marry her?"

"Tony," Pepper interjected. "I think this is something they should talk about without us."

"I'm just saying. Why not get it done and have a big to-do about it?"

"Because maybe I would want an intimate ceremony," Steve defended.

"Aw, big, bad and buff Captain America wants a romantic, private ceremony."

"Tony, that's enough," Olivia said sternly. "Weddings and marriage are not things you joke about. It's a serious commitment and it requires that someone is 110% ready to make that commitment."

Olivia stood and gave a smile.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to finalize some details about the ceremony."

She headed toward the elevator and as she stepped on, Steve joined. The doors dinged as they closed.

"Olivia, I want you to know that I am committed to you," he said seriously as he took her hands. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Steve, that's not what I meant," she smiled and kissed his hands. "I know you are. I just wanted Tony to let it alone."

"If you want to get married, let's,"

"Don't, Steve," Olivia said softly. "We've not even been together for a year. If you're seriously considering it, and it's what you would want, that's fine. But I don't want to get engaged in an elevator."

Steve let out a chuckle.

"You're right. I don't want to turn this celebration of you into a celebration of us. This nomination is all about you and your achievements. We'll just have to ignore the media."

"Always a good suggestion," she agreed.

* * *

Nick Fury strode down the front steps of the Pentagon, clad in his long, leather trench coat, despite the fact that it was just now August. His bald head shone in the sunlight. Reporters outside of the building flocked to him, microphones and cameras in his face, asking questions over one another.

"Sir, is it true that the Avengers are recruiting new members?" One reporter asked.

"Sir, can you comment on the recent murders in New York and their suspected link to domestic terrorism?"

"Mr. Fury, can you confirm the engagement of Captain America and Dr. Olivia McClain?"

At that question, he stopped in his place, and raised his eyebrows questioningly, his posture straight and square.

"Do I _look_ like a public relations manager?!" He asked loudly. He took the sudden silence as a no. "That's what I thought. I do not, have not, and will not comment on the private lives of the members of the Avengers Initiative."

* * *

Steve's cell phone rang. He sighed, sitting up from his comfortable spot against the headboard and laid his book aside. He flipped open the phone to read the caller ID.

"Yes, sir?" He answered.

"What's this I hear about your recent engagement?" Nick Fury asked from the other end of the line. Steve wasn't able to read his tone. "I got confronted by reporters at the Pentagon who acted as if they were shocked to see that I wasn't carrying fabric swatches and the latest issue of _Southern Bride_ with me."

"My apologies, sir. Someone overheard Olivia and I discussing her recent nomination for a Smithsonian award at a party and falsely reported that we were talking about a wedding. We're not engaged."

"So Captain America has no upcoming plans to settle down with the old ball and chain?"

Steve gave a short laugh.

"No, sir."

"That's what I like to hear. When men get married, they're forever changed. When superheroes get married, well, they usually decide to get a different day job."

Steve cleared his throat.

"Sir, while Olivia and I aren't actually engaged, I wouldn't rule it out for the future. I am serious about her and I think I would like to make her my wife one day."

"Well, Cap, I suppose we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I think Dr. Rogers has a much better ring to it than Dr. McClain, don't you?"

"I guess I can't argue with that. Take it easy, Rogers," Nick said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

"Whatcha thinking about?" Olivia asked, looking up at Steve as she laid on her back, head resting in his lap.

"Nothing," he said, smiling down at her and continuing to play with her auburn hair.

"Sure looks like you're thinkin' 'bout something'," she said.

"You caught me," he laughed. "I'm thinking about you, and how much I love you."

"Aw, Steve," she smiled and bit her lip. "You're so sweet. Sweet as apple pie."

"I try."

"Is that all you're thinkin' bout?"

"For the most part. How's your dad?" He asked, changing the subject.

"He's pretty good. He said he'll be able to attend the award ceremony, but I'm a little worried because he's never flown."

"Are you having Tony's pilot pick him up?"

"Oh…." She said. "I didn't think of that. That's a good idea. I'll talk to him about that."

"Good."

"So I have an important question to ask," Olivia said, sitting up suddenly, her facial expression serious.

"Okay," Steve said, slightly concerned.

"By now, I'm assuming you see our relationship are persisting through the future, right?"

"Of course," he said.

"Okay, so what do you think of the possibility of….well, of us getting a dog one day?"

Steve started laughing, relieved that that was the topic of her serious question.

"I think we could probably work something out one day."

"Yay, I love dogs."

"And I love you."

* * *

 **A/N:** I am so sorry that I've been MIA. Life got so busy and I lost track of time. I hope you'll forgive me. I know this chapter isn't super exciting. With the holidays coming up, I don't know if I'll be able to post again before the new year. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and maybe what you hope you'll se before the end of the series. I love you all! Thank you!

-LBD


	18. And The Winner Is

"Are you ready?" Steve asked as Olivia stared at her reflection in the mirror, sliding on the back of her earring.

She breathed in a deep breath and gave him a smile.

"I suppose so."

"Great, you look beautiful," he said, offering his arm to her. She grabbed her clutch and slipped her hand into the nook of his arm, following him out the door of her apartment.

Cliff had already called to let Olivia know he had been seated. Boy, was he excited to see a little placard on the table that said "Reserved - Clifton McClain". He felt quite official, he told her.

Steve and Olivia pulled up to the venue and Olivia's stomach immediately filled with butterflies. She was used to addressing large crowds and being around groups of people, but she was surprisingly nervous about the awards. They walked in together and stopped at the entrance for photographers to take pictures. Olivia answered some questions about her current research and the research she's previously done through the Smithsonian. Steve stood back and beamed from ear to ear, without Olivia realizing it, because he was so impressed with how damn intelligent she was. On any other day, someone might look at her and think she was just an average woman, but Steve knew she was far from it. At least, to him.

After she finished answering questions, they were led to their table. Cliff jumped up and gave Olivia a big hug and Steve a forceful pat on the back.

"Always good to see you, Mr. McClain," Steve chuckled as he pulled out the chair for Olivia and then sat next to her. A waiter stopped at the table and offered champagne flutes to the trio; Olivia happily accepted.

The ceremony began with a wonderful tribute video that included segments on each nominee.

"Olivia is incredibly intelligent," Dr. Stewart Newsome's voice, that of her supervisor, rang through the banquet hall. "She has this incredible attention to detail that is very hard to find these days. She's a self-starter, independent worker, but also a team player. Her knowledge of avian behavior and ecology is astounding and she is highly valued here at the Smithsonian."

She smiled as Steve gave her a playful nudge in the arm. After the video introduction, the presentation of awards began. There were nine categories and Natural Sciences was the 6th to be announced, behind Performing Arts, History, Visual Arts, Education, and Physical Sciences.

"Our next award is in the category of Natural Sciences," the host announced, running through the nominees again. Steve squeezed Olivia's hand reassuringly under the table. She could feel her heart beating rapidly beneath her chest. "This year's winner of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in Natural Sciences is….Doo Yeon Kim and Rudolph Tanzi."

Olivia could feel Steve's disappointment as his hand loosened a bit against hers. Cliff patted Olivia's other hand and leaned over to her. "It's alright boo boo, you're still the smartest scientist I know."

"Thanks Daddy," she whispered.

"Doo Yeon Kim and Rudolph Tanzi are neurologists at Harvard Medical School where they are performing cutting edge research on Alzheimer's," the host spoke as the two scientists were presented with their awards. Olivia gave a smile to Steve and he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"I'm proud of you," he said, "and I love you."

"Thank you. I love you too."

* * *

It didn't take long before Cliff was knocked out cold on the couch in Olivia's apartment. Her old man never was one for staying up late and the award banquet extended way beyond his bedtime.

Despite being in her own apartment, it felt more like a hotel. It had been almost a year since she had been in there and, as a result, it felt quite foreign. She ignored the odd feeling as she stood in front of the mirror on the back of her closet door, taking her earrings out and placing them in a tiny dish on the nearby dresser. In the reflection, she saw Steve slide off his suit jacket and loosen his tie.

"Sweetie?" Olivia asked softly and he looked up at her, their eyes meeting in the mirror. "Could you unzip me, please?"

He stood and approached her.

"You know, I still think you should have won," he said.

"Thanks, love, I appreciate it."

The tiny zipper pull was dwarfed in his large hands, but he managed to hold onto it and unzip the dress. The zipper ended just above her tailbone. He let loose of the pull and placed his hands on her shoulders, slowly tracing her back on the way up. He felt her shiver slightly as she giggled softly.

He leaned in and kissed the bottom of her neck softly and slowly, sliding his hands down the sides of her arms and taking the dress with him. He was only satisfied when it was a sparkly heap around her feet.

"Say, you sure looked beautiful in that dress tonight but I do think it looks better on the floor."

"Ooh, Cap, you sweet talker," she giggled as he pressed his lips to hers. His hands slid down across her hips and found their way to the top of her lace panties. As he inched his way down, she stifled a soft moan.

"We can't," she said quietly.

"Sure we can."

"Okay, then we _shouldn't_."

"And why not?" He asked with a small smile.

"My dad is in the next room," she said.

"Then we'd better be quiet."

His hand was cool between her legs and and his breath was warm against her neck. She felt her eyes flutter closed right before he swept her up and gently tossed her onto the bed, throwing her underwear onto the floor. The dim light coming from the lamp in the room was enough for them to see each other, but kept the room dark and intimate.

Her skin felt as if it caught fire every time his brushed against hers. She found it surprising that, given his stature and how much bigger he was than her, he fit perfectly between her legs. Steve's gentle rock back and forth against her sped up and slowed down throughout, and she would feel him close his fists around the bed sheets. She bit her lip to keep from screaming out as she approached her climax. Steve collapsed onto her as they finished, catching his weight on his hands, laying his clammy chest against hers and laying his head to rest atop her shoulder. After a moment, he lifted his head and reached up to brush Olivia's hair from her face, kissing her lips softly. She couldn't hide her smirk and she kissed him with a giggle.

"I don't know about you, but I think I'm ready for bed," she laughed, crawling out from under him and slipping into the bathroom to remove her makeup. When she returned, Steve had already fallen asleep in the bed. She shook her head, smiling, and climbed in behind him. As he felt the shift from her weight, he rolled over to face her, slinging his arm around her waist. Olivia fell asleep wondering what she had done in a previous life to deserve falling asleep in the arms of fucking Captain America.

* * *

Cliff gave Olivia a final wave before he closed the car door behind him. She smiled at him and the driver told her that he would confirm when he was on his flight back to North Carolina.

"I guess we should get the rest of our things ready to go back to New York," she said to Steve.

"Not quite yet," he smiled. "There's one last thing left to do."

She tilted her head and lifted her eyebrow curiously. Another car pulled into the parking lot and Steve motioned for Olivia to hop in the backseat. He slid in next to her.

"The Smithsonian?" She asked when the car dropped them off in front of the building.

"Specifically the Air and Space museum," he said. "Have you spent much time here?"

"Not really," she said, lacing her fingers between his.

"Well I want to show you something," he said, pulling his ball cap down on his head and giving her a smile. They walked into the front entrance and down a long hall until the reached an exhibit.

"I didn't know this was here," Olivia said quietly.

"I'm not always good at talking about my past, so I thought I'd bring you here to learn more, if you want to."

"Of course, she smiled and pulled him to one side of the exhibit, his handsome face plastered all across the walls.

About thirty minutes into their exploration, she saw a little theater within the exhibit.

"Ooh, let's watch a movie!" She squealed.

They sat on the small bench as the lights dimmed. A narrator told the story of Steve's time in the army. A woman's face appeared on the screen. She had high cheekbones and dark, wavy hair. Olivia felt Steve's arm go tense. She looked up at him, questioningly.

"Is that her?" She asked, remembering when he told her about his feelings. _I've been in love once before. And I took too long to tell her how I felt and how much I cared about her. And then it was too late._

 _"_ Yea," he said, softly.

* * *

"Hey Olivia," Clint smiled when he entered the Stark tower gym the next day and found Olivia on one of the treadmills. "How was the banquet?"

"Well, I'm sure you heard... that I lost," she said. "I can't say... I was surprised because some of those... scientists were studying some...downright badass stuff." Her sentence was dragged out as she panted.

"Well hopefully the food was good?" Clint laughed.

"Too good," she replied. "Hence the extra mile."

"Not like you need it."

"Clint Barton, are you flirting with me?" She asked, cutting her eyes at him.

"Never," he said, sarcastically. "I'm just telling the truth."

"Remember that time you called me fat?!" She laughed.

"What?! I did no such thing!"

"Oh sure," she laughed again. "It was on our first day of meeting. I seem to recall you telling me it was good that I'd found the gym."

"I definitely did not call you fat," he said. She laughed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and hit the stop button on the treadmill.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sorry I've been MIA. I have a lot of excuses for you. I just started grad school, I'm working on research projects, and I'm not managing my time well. I'm sorry. Thank you all for your understanding and your support. Here's the next chapter. Hopefully it won't take me quite as long to get to chapter 19 as it did this one. Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy. 3

-LBD


	19. Vanuatu

"Hey Clint," Olivia smiled as she walked into the living area. "Wanna go tandem on the treadmill with your fatty friend?"

Pepper snickered in the background as Clint scoffed.

"I did _not_ call you fat."

"Eh, that's not how I remember it," she laughed, nudging him in the shoulder.

"Why don't you partner with Cap?"

"The guy can run forever. I can't challenge him,"

"And you think you can challenge me?"

She laughed and shrugged.

"Sounds like that's what I'm saying."

"Ha, okay. I'll met you in the gym in fifteen," he said, jumping up off the couch and heading to the stairs.

"Hey, don't you wanna take the elevator? You wouldn't wanna overdo it, old man."

* * *

"Is it me or are you faster than you were two weeks ago when we last ran together?" Clint huffed as he battled the treadmill.

"I may or may not have been practicing," she replied.

"Yea, I can tell."

After about twenty more minutes of running, Olivia smiled and wiped the sweat off of her forehead.

"What do you say we call it a tie…just this time," she suggested.

Clint pressed the stop button on his treadmill and doubled over, resting his palms above his knees.

"Deal."

* * *

Olivia heard a knock on her suite door as she dried off from her shower.

"Just a minute!" She hollered, wrapping her hair in the towel and slipping into her robe before padding out of the bathroom and opening the door. "Hey Steve!"

"Pack your bags," he said, smiling.

"What?"

"Pack your bags. Plan on five days, warm weather."

"Um, okay. How soon should I be ready?"

"A couple hours. I'll grab you when we're ready to go."

"Okay," she laughed. And he delivered. A few hours later, he was knocking on her door again. They loaded their bags onto one of Tony's small planes and departed the city.

"I'm guessing that wherever we're going is a surprise, so I probably shouldn't ask?" Olivia said.

"I'm guessing you're right," he smiled. "But it's going to be a long flight, so feel free to sleep."

She took his advice several hours into the flight. When she woke, they were flying over clear blue water.

"Whoa," she breathed, her face pressed up against the window. "That's beautiful. Where are we?"

"Almost to our destination," he said.

When they landed on a tiny island, they were driven to a resort villa on the beach.

Olivia took in the view. Crystal clear water and white sandy beaches. The sun was high in the sky and there were no clouds for miles. Their resort was beach front and behind it were miles of forest.

"Welcome to Ratua private island," a hostess smiled as she showed them to their room. "We hope you enjoy your stay."

"This is amazing," Olivia shrieked once the woman was out of earshot. She sprang into Steve's arms and kissed him excitedly.

"What would you like to do first?"

"Go to the beach?"

"As you wish."

* * *

"Here are your drinks," the waiter placed two glasses on the table in front of them. "A water for you sir, and a Mai Thai for the lady. Are you ready to order?"

"I'll have the lobster tail," Steve said. "Olivia?"

"Oh man, this is tough. Can I get the duck, but no asparagus, please. Can I have a side salad instead?"

"Certainly. We'll have it ready for you soon."

"Enjoying our stay so far?" Steve asked.

"It's been three full days of bliss. This place is beautiful."

"Well we've got a couple more days left before it's over. Is there anything else you'd like to do while we're here?"

"I'd love to go hiking."

"Alright, it's a date. We can go tomorrow," he smiled.

As Steve cleared his plate he sat back in his chair and offered Olivia a smile.

"How was it?" She asked.

"Phenomenal. Very delicious. And yours?"

"Excellent."

"I'm happy to hear that," he stood and offered her his hand. "How about we take a walk on the beach before we bring our night to an end?"

Placing her hand in his, she obliged. They walked a mile down the beach and back, stopping to sit in the sand in front of their resort. They looked out over the ocean at the moon, listening to nothing but the sound of the waves lapping against the sand.

Until Steve's phone rang.

"Sorry," he said softly. "Let me just grab it really quickly." He cleared his throat before answering with a brisk "hello". He was quiet as the person on the other line spoke. Olivia could hear a voice but couldn't distinguish who it belonged to or what they were saying.

"I'm not in the country right now," he said. Another pause. "What? Are you sure?...That must be a mistake...Mhmm. Over a day's worth of flying time...Yes, sir." Steve sighed as he hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

"Is everything okay?" Olivia asked.

"Not exactly," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I, uh, well there's not an easy way to say this. I have to go back to New York."

"Are you serious?!" Olivia explained, half annoyed and half angry. "When?"

"Now."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I wish I was. That was Fury. It's Hydra. I've got to go. I'm sorry. You know I wouldn't if I didn't have to."

"What about our hike? What about this trip?"

"I'm sorry, Olivia. I don't have much of a choice."

She didn't say anything else.

"I'm taking the plane back but SHIELD will send a plane for you tomorrow.

She was silent still.

"I'll walk you back to the room."

"No thanks. I'll stay here."

"Okay. I'm sorry, Olivia." He leaned in and gave her a kiss. She half-heartedly returned it. He sighed quietly, stood and began the walk back to their room in the resort where he gathered his things and prepared to leave.

Olivia remained on the beach, letting the darkness encompass her. She stayed for what felt like an hour, but she couldn't be sure because she had no way of telling the time. She stood, brushed the sand off of her clothing and followed the faint trail of light back to the resort. She went straight to the bathroom attached to their room where she showered. She scrubbed the hairspray from her hair and wiped the makeup from her face before returning to the room. She had perched herself on the edge of the bed when she noticed something reflecting in her peripheral vision. On the pillow laid a tiny owl necklace. Olivia picked it up and felt its familiarity, but despite that, her heart didn't feel any less broken.

The next morning, a pilot ushered her from her room and onto a small private plane.

"Dr. McClain, we have a long flight ahead of us," the pilot informed her. "In the front cabinet here, you will find pillows and a blanket should you need them. There's also food and beverages in the mini fridge across from the cabinet. The seats do recline all the way if you want to sleep. Please press the call button if you need anything."

"Thank you."

When Olivia returned to the tower, she snuck quietly to her suite.

"Jarvis, can you create a 'do not disturb' setting? I don't want anyone knocking on the door and waking me up."

"Of course, Dr."

"Oh, and Jarvis, how long will it take me to sleep off this jet lag?"

"Likely the next 24 hours or so."

"Kay, thanks," she said, falling face first onto her bed, which had never felt more comfortable in her life.

The next day, Olivia woke feeling mostly rested. She poured herself a bowl of Cheerios and turned on the television, settling on a news station and hoping to learn about what might have forced Steve to end their trip early.

"Reports coming in from ground crew in Washington. DC are reporting that the most recent attack is the work of Hydra. Casey Rivera joins us from the DC studio. Casey, what else can you tell us?"

"Well, Justine, I can tell you that most of the action has moved to toward the Southern end of the Potomac River. The National Mall area, including several monuments and a number of the Smithsonian museums did experience some damage. Some officers have been dispatched to that area to help capture any animals that escaped from the National Zoo and the Natural History Museum during the attack. In addition, several thousand people are experiencing loss of power. Now, authorities are saying that the main perpetrator behind this event is an assassin known as The Winter Soldier. At this time, we do not have any additional information. Back to you, Justine."

"Alright, Casey, thank you for the update. We here in the New York studio hope that you all stay safe and we will keep the city residents in our thoughts. Coming up next, a look at next week's weather-"

Olivia turned the television off and finished her cereal.

"Jarvis, is everyone gone?"

"Ms. Potts remains in the building, as well as other tower staff."

"Do you know when everyone else will be back?"

"No word yet. I will alert you if there are any updates."

The following morning, Jarvis informed Olivia that the Avengers would be returning by late afternoon. And they did, tattered, bruised and scarred. Olivia helped treat some minor wounds but didn't speak much to Steve. Once she had finished applying neosporin and band-aids, Steve asked for a moment to speak with her.

"I'm sorry for cutting our vacation. I'll make it up to you."

"What's going on? The news said something about a winter solider."

"Yea. His name is Bucky. Bucky Barnes. But he doesn't realize it."

"Bucky as in your friend that died in the war? The one whose exhibit we saw at the museum?"

"Yea, that's the one. He fell from a train and we thought he was dead. But Hydra found him and manipulated him, physically and mentally. He has a metal arm and no recollections of who he really is." Olivia could tell Steve was upset

"Listen, now's probably not the time but I've got something important to tell you," she said.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow guys, I suck so bad. What's it been like 2 months? Damn, I'm so sorry. I'm usually much better than this. However, I've been working on a report for school (so far it's just shy of 90 pages and I've got so much more to do.) so that has eaten up my time. We're trying to buy a house and I'm just being shitty at managing my time. #Excuses. To those of you who have recently (as in between now and the publishing of chapter 18) liked, followed or commented, thank you so much. To my readers who've been with me throughout, thanks for hanging in there. Two things about the next chapter: 1) I believe it will be the last. 2) It will likely be short. And I apologize for it. But that's just the way I wanted it. :) And I hope that it will not take me as long as this one did. Please forgive me. Love to you all! (P.S. I apologize if there are any random typos. I am actually posting from my phone.)

-LBD


	20. Till the End

Steve's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Is everything okay? Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yea, it's just that….I'm moving back to DC."

"Oh wow!" Tony's voice suddenly filled their ears. "You had me there. Thought you were gonna say you were pregnant! Ha. That woulda been something. Steve breaking his holy vow of chastity." He clapped his hand on Steve's shoulder.

Steve whipped his head around and gave Tony a stare of annoyance, speaking through gritted teeth.

"This is a _private_ conversation. Do you mind?"

"Okay, okay, I'll leave," he held his hands up in defeat and walked away. Steve gently grasped Olivia's arm and moved into the hall.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I'm moving back to DC, Steve."

"If this is about our trip, doll, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. We'll take another."

"Steve, it's not just that. I miss my job, I miss my apartment," she explained. "Parts of the Smithsonian and the National Zoo were damaged in the conflict with Hydra. Some of the animals are missing and I know the staff are going to need help. If animal control or the police find these animals before the professionals, they're likely to be shot and killed because they just don't have the means to tranquilize and capture them properly."

"What about us?"

"What about us, Steve? Plenty of couples do long distance. And plenty of other couples don't have some of the extras that we have, like a private jet or having the ask for time off. If you want to take that on, I'm game, but I just can't stay cooped up in this tower when my passion and my work are back in DC. Besides, right now, you need to focus your efforts on Bucky and getting him back to where he needs to be. I'll be nothing but a distraction and, honestly, I don't think I could live with myself if I stood in between the two of you," she said. "Just think about it, sleep on it, and get back to me. I love you, but I need to be back in my zone, you know?" He nodded, and even though he didn't say anything, he leaned down and gave her a long kiss.

* * *

"What time does your flight come in?" Belle asked from the other end of Olivia's phone.

"It comes in at 8:45 AM," she answered.

"Okay, on Thursday? Two days from now?"

"Yes, Thursday."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"What?"

"I'll pick you up. I'm in Tennessee for an event and I'll be able to get to DC before you land. I'll pick you up,"

"Belle, you don't need to do that."

"I know, but I want to. It might be tough to transition back to living alone. And I don't want you to make that transition alone."

"Thanks, B,"

"Absolutely. And after I leave, you could always get a dog."

"Ha, I'm imagining I'll be a little too busy for a dog, but I'll enjoy your company while I have it."

"You're too sweet. I've gotta run. See you Thursday."

"Dr. McClain," Jarvis's voice filled the room after Olivia tossed her phone on the bed. "Mr. Stark would like to see you in his lab."

She sighed and headed out the door, catching the elevator to meet Tony. When she arrived, he was bent over a lab table with a soldering iron.

"You wanted to see me?" She called.

"Yea!" Tony sat the iron on the table top and looked up at her, his face twisted into a somewhat confusing expression. "What's this I hear about you leaving?"

"Yea, I'm going to go back to DC for a little while," she shrugged.

"Why?"

"I miss it. And I'm needed there. Smithsonian staff are trying to relocate animals and repair damages from the Hydra attack."

"I don't know what to say," he said, obviously overplaying his feelings of hurt. "But we hate to see you go."

"Thanks, Tony. I appreciate it."

"Listen, let's have one last party. We'll make it a large scale thing, we'll have the biggest names in town-"

"That's really not necessary, Tony," Olivia smiled.

"We've got to do something before you leave."

"Okay, but let's keep it small. How about pizza, beers and board games?" She suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Tomorrow night?" He asked and she nodded.

The next night, everyone was sprawled across the communal living area, pizza piled on their paper plates and beers in their hands.

"Olivia, I can't believe you're leaving. It feels like you only just got here," Pepper said softly.

"Believe it or not, I've been here just shy of a year."

"It's going to be tough," Natasha said. "Only two of us girls and all this testosterone."

"We really will miss you," Clint said.

"I'll miss y'all too, but I'll be back to visit when I can," she said. "The good news is that DC isn't too far away. Now, who's up for a game of scattegories?"

* * *

Steve and Olivia sat outside of the airport in one of Tony's Audis. Olivia sat with her hands in her lap and didn't say anything. Steve turned the ignition off and took the keys out of the switch.

"I'll help you get checked in and get your bags," He offered.

"Thank you," Olivia smiled as she exited the car. She rolled her carry-on behind her and Steve carried her two checked bags. They checked in to the fight and Olivia made her way to the security line.

"Well," she said softly, pulling at the hem of her shirt.

"Is this goodbye?" He asked.

"Of course not. It's just see you later. The drive from DC to New York isn't very long at all. I'll come visit, I promise."

"Me too. I'll visit soon."

"I'll call you when I make it home," she said and he nodded before leaning down and giving her a long, soft kiss.

"I love you, Olivia."

"I love you too, Steve."

When Olivia's flight landed in DC, her face was red and slightly puffy from crying. She stopped in the bathroom on her way out of the terminal, splashing a little bit of water on her face in an attempt to hide the redness.

As she descended the escalator to baggage claim, she saw a familiar face in the distance. There stood Belle, holding a handmade sign that read "Dr. Fucking McClain". Olivia giggled to herself and ran to hug her.

"It's good to see you," Belle smiled as they moved to the conveyer belt. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm happy to be back in DC, but I can't help but feel that part of me is missing."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. It'll get better. And the good news is, he's not too far away."

"You're right," she agreed.

They took a cab back to Olivia's apartment in order to avoid the chaos of the metro, which was stopped in several areas due to damage in the city and the tracks.

"Listen," Belle said, as they sat in the back seat. "I cleared my schedule for a few days, but can always stay longer if you need me. I imagine it might be challenging to transition from a building full of people back down to a studio apartment. I'm happy to stay for as long as you need me."

"Thanks, B," Olivia smiled. "I really appreciate it."

The cab driver retrieved Olivia's bags from the trunk and placed them on the sidewalk in front of her apartment building. She paid the fare and gave the driver his tip before grabbing the handle of her bag and heading toward the lobby.

"Long time no see, Dr. McClain," the doorman smiled at the sight of her, taking her baggage from her.

"Hi, Rob," she smiled back. "How have you been?"

"Same old, same old," he shrugged, following her to the elevator with her bag. "You?"

"I've been busy," she said. "It's nice to be home."

"It's great to have you back," he said, just as the elevator dinged and the doors began to open. "Have a great rest of your day."

"You too, Rob."

When they arrived at Olivia's apartment, Belle collapsed on the bed.

"What now?" She asked.

"I've gotta call Steve. I told him I'd call when I got here," Olivia said, grabbing her phone from her pocket and walking toward the kitchen. She propped herself against the end of the island and dialed his number. It rang twice.

"Hey," Steve answered.

"Hey."

"How was the flight?"

"It was good. Belle picked me up and we're back at my apartment now."

"Okay, good, good."

It was quiet for a minute.

"I'm going to miss having you around," he said.

"Me too," she admitted.

"I'll come see you soon," he said. "Maybe next week? Whenever you're not busy."

"That would be nice."

"Yea, I-"

"Hey Olivia," Belle interrupted, and Olivia turned to see her facing out the window. "Um, I think there's a loose monkey out here. He's a Zaboomafoo looking motherfucker."

Olivia moved to stand next to Steve, her hand covering the phone's mic.

"Oh Belle, that's a lemur, not a monkey. They're in completely different suborders."

"Well, excuse me," Belle said, throwing her hands up.

"Listen, Steve, I have to go. There's some zoo animals outside and I need to get to them before someone else does."

"Oh, okay. Listen, Olivia. Before you go, I just wanted you to know something."

"Yea?"

"I won't let this long distance thing get between us. I'm hoping it's just temporary. But nonetheless, I'm with you till the end of the line."

* * *

 **A/N:** And that, my friends, is the end. For now. I'm sure you all thought I was surely dead or had forgotten about you, but that was not the case. I am so thankful to everyone who followed along with this story, who liked or favorited it. It really meant a lot. Coming up in the future, I hope to have a Loki/OC fanfic that I've been slowly working on. I plan to get much farther along with it before I publish anything, so as not to create a backlog like I have here. Also, don't be too discouraged if this didn't end like you wanted. Like I said, it's the end _for now_.

Love you guys. 3


	21. A Note from LuncboxDog - Wild Encounters

Hello readers!

First, I want to say thank you to those of you who enjoyed Wild Encounters; your favorites and reviews have been greatly appreciated!

To the guest (and perhaps others of you) who felt as though the story had a bad ending: I'm so sorry you feel that way. Sometimes, stories end in ways we don't want or that we didn't imagine. As a reader, I have experienced that, and I truly understand. I sat down and thought about how I could bring this part of Olivia and Steve's story to an end and this is what I found to be the best fit. **Please know this** : this is not the end of Olivia and Steve's story. It is merely the end of Wild Encounters.

I plan to write a sequel, and I am working on a Loki/OC fanfiction now. _However_ , I am in graduate school and am very busy writing my thesis and working on other research projects, as well as managing coursework. Graduate school is a much bigger, and much more demanding, monster than undergraduate, and that's coming from someone who always took a full semester, interned/volunteered and worked multiple jobs as an undergraduate.

 _Because of this_ , I am not able to devote time to writing quality material _._ And it would be hardly fair for me to give you a sequel that isn't worth reading.

So please bear with me. I know it's been a while since Wild Encounters ended. If you have feedback, or even want to share a vision you have, I am responsive to messages here.

Thank you all so much for understanding. 3

-LBD


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